Jack Doohan’s next chapter looks like it’ll run through Suzuka—and straight through Toyota.
After a stop-start 2025 that saw him dropped as Alpine’s race driver early and parked for the final stretch, the Australian is lining up a reset that keeps him in the F1 orbit while getting his elbows out again in Japan. He’s set to take part in this week’s Super Formula rookie test at Suzuka with an eye on a full campaign next season, and there’s more to it than just seat time. The move is expected to come with Toyota support—and that could be the hinge on a bigger door opening at Haas.
With Haas and Toyota drawing closer—title branding is due to arrive next season, and talk of a deeper tie-up isn’t going away—Doohan is being positioned for a 2026 reserve role with the American team to complement a Super Formula programme. The play is obvious: stay sharp, be visible, and be first in line if the 2027 grid shuffles.
The timing isn’t accidental. Haas is set with Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman for 2026, while Toyota’s World Endurance champion Ryo Hirakawa, 31, has been the team’s reserve. But both race seats are understood to be up at the end of that year. A strong Super Formula season—Toyota’s backyard, in cars that reward precision and aggression—plus regular F1 mileage would have Doohan right where he wants to be when the music stops.
There are a couple of hoops first. Doohan remains under contract at Alpine through the end of 2026, so any reserve agreement with Haas will need Enstone’s blessing. That release is said to be a formality rather than a fait accompli, but it’s the final piece before Haas can make anything official. The split with Alpine boss Flavio Briatore—who had been managing him—also marks a fresh start, with new representation steering this pivot.
The Suzuka test is a smart choice. Doohan raced at the Japanese Grand Prix this year, so he knows the place, and Super Formula’s calendar and car characteristics make it an excellent parallel track to F1 preparation. It’s also a far better shop window than sitting in a simulator all winter. If the plan comes together, expect him to combine a Toyota-backed Super Formula campaign with Haas commitments that include Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) days—valuable seat time for both driver and a Haas outfit that’s been using those runs to broaden experience across its lean race team.
Money matters behind the scenes, too. Prize funds shape programmes. Before Abu Dhabi, Haas sat eighth in the standings on 73 points—seven behind Aston Martin for seventh, five ahead of Sauber in ninth—with all the usual end-of-year intrigue around final places and payout. Industry chatter suggests the overall pot could sit north of $1.3 billion across the grid next season; every step up the table fattens a team’s share. Roughly speaking, seventh projects nearer the $80 million mark in 2026 prize money versus about $69 million for ninth. That extra swing can fund more TPC running, more spares, more everything—exactly the sort of margin that greases deals like Doohan’s.
As for the Haas-Toyota courtship, it’s more than a decal. Toyota’s involvement has already seen shared projects and personnel upskilling through those TPC days, and there’s persistent paddock noise around the manufacturer potentially taking a minor stake in the team down the line. That scenario would hand Gene Haas a natural exit route when—and only when—he wants one. For now, the focus is on practical gains for 2026: title sponsorship, technical collaboration, and a more robust driver ecosystem.
Doohan fits that last box neatly. He’s quick, marketable, and at 22, still has headroom. He also brings recent race craft, something reserves often lack. After a bruising 2025, the route back to a permanent seat isn’t a straight line, but this plan at least gives him a proper motorway: Toyota power in Japan, a credible role at Haas, and a live shot when contracts roll over for 2027.
None of it is signed off yet—Super Formula, Haas reserve, the Alpine release—but the pieces are aligned. Expect movement in the coming weeks once the paperwork catches up with intent.
Key notes at a glance:
– Doohan targeting a Super Formula seat after this week’s Suzuka rookie test, with Toyota support.
– Parallel push for a 2026 reserve role at Haas as its Toyota relationship deepens.
– Alpine contract runs to end-2026; a release is needed for any Haas deal.
– TPC outings likely part of the package, subject to budget unlocked by 2025 prize money.
– Haas’s 2026 race seats understood to be Ocon and Bearman; both expected out of contract after that season.
– Toyota’s Ryo Hirakawa remains in the reserve mix at Haas.
If you’re keeping score, that’s a sensible gamble from all sides. Toyota gets a young, fast driver embedded in its ecosystem. Haas reinforces its talent pipeline while it builds out a bigger partnership. And Jack Doohan gets a way back onto the grid that doesn’t rely on hope—just results.
