Jack Doohan’s 2026 is starting to look like a study in keeping every door propped open.
Haas’ reserve driver has confirmed he’ll race in the European Le Mans Series this season, joining Nielsen Racing in LMP2. It’s a neat solution for a driver who needs mileage, relevance and a competitive environment while he waits for Formula 1’s increasingly brutal market to blink.
The original idea, understood to be on the table through the winter, was more directly tied to Haas’ new technical relationship with Toyota: Doohan would do his reserve work in F1 and spend his weekends in Super Formula, a proven proving ground for would-be grand prix drivers. But that plan unravelled after a messy Suzuka test featuring three accidents and lingering concerns about the Kondo Racing set-up Doohan would have been aligned with. The result: no Japan programme, and a fairly urgent need to find a serious alternative that wasn’t just “simulator and hope”.
ELMS ticks plenty of boxes. Doohan will share a Nielsen-run Oreca 07 in LMP2 with Roy Nissany and Ed Pearson, with the season beginning in Barcelona on April 12. It’s a different discipline, yes, but it’s also real racing in a fast car with meaningful complexity — traffic management, tyre life, stint craft, shared feedback loops. For an F1 reserve, those aren’t distractions; they’re currency.
“I’m really excited to be back racing in 2026 and to be joining Nielsen Racing for my first season in LMP2,” Doohan said. “It’s a new challenge with a lot to learn, but I’m confident we’ll get up to speed quickly with such a strong team around me.
“With Roy Nissany and Ed Pearson, we have a great mix of experience and hunger, and I’m looking forward to building strong chemistry and pushing for results. The Oreca 07 is a fantastic car and a very different challenge and I can’t wait to get started in the European Le Mans Series.”
Doohan’s career over the past 12 months has been defined by sharp turns. He began last season as Pierre Gasly’s team-mate at Alpine, only to be replaced by Franco Colapinto after the Miami Grand Prix. That demotion pushed him back into reserve duties at Enstone before the relationship ended entirely at the close of 2025.
Haas stepping in has offered something that’s been in short supply: proximity to the grid. Doohan was named the team’s reserve driver ahead of the 2026 season, giving him a base inside a squad that’s quietly made itself relevant again.
And that’s the key context here. Haas’ start to 2026 has been encouraging enough that the reserve role isn’t just ceremonial. With the team sitting fourth in the constructors’ standings — two points clear of both Alpine and Red Bull — the atmosphere around the garage has shifted. It’s no longer merely the paddock’s perennial scrapper; it’s a points-hungry operation with genuine momentum and, crucially, something to lose.
That matters because the “reserve driver” label can mean wildly different things depending on the team’s health. At a struggling outfit, it can be a waiting room with dim lighting. At a team on the upswing, it can be a live audition.
Doohan’s ELMS deal looks like a smart way to stay sharp while still being available. The calendar fit is manageable, the racing is high quality, and the optics are strong: he’s not disappearing into a quiet year on the sidelines. He’s competing.
It also adds a layer of optionality for 2027. Haas’ current race line-up — Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon — are both believed to be out of contract at the end of this season. No one inside F1 will pretend seats are handed out on sentiment, but timing is everything, and Doohan has at least positioned himself to be part of the conversation if Haas decide to reshuffle.
There’s another undercurrent here too. With 2026 ushering in a new technical era, teams are placing renewed value on drivers who can contribute meaningfully away from the track — simulator correlation, development direction, adaptability to unfamiliar behaviour. LMP2 won’t replicate an F1 car, but it will force Doohan to demonstrate range, discipline and feedback quality under race pressure. If the sport has taught us anything, it’s that reputations can be rebuilt quickly when the paddock starts hearing the right things from the right engineers.
For Doohan, this is less about chasing a glamorous detour into sportscars and more about staying in the fight — visible, race-ready and plugged into an F1 team that’s suddenly got reasons to be ambitious. If a door opens for 2027, he’ll want to be the driver with fresh results, not stale promises. ELMS is his way of making sure of that.
