Jack Douin admitted that the tests in July at Le Castellet, after which Alpine made the choice in his favour and signed the contract for 2025, were of a strange nature.
During those tests, which took place at France’s Paul Ricard circuit ahead of the British Grand Prix, Duane and Mick Schumacher took turns driving the 2022 A522. And a week before the Monza stage, the Renault factory team announced a contract with the 21-year-old Australian, who has served as reserve driver this season, which he has apparently coped with very well.
It is worth adding that Mick Duane and Michael Schumacher were once quite good friends and the seven-time world champion named his son in honor of the famous Australian motorcycle racer. Therefore, we can say that Jack and Mick grew up together.
When Douin Jr. was asked about the Le Castellet tests, he answered honestly: “They were strange. Personally, I had a serious business mentality. I just treated them like that because in the end it was just a question of getting into the cockpit of the car and showing the highest possible speed that I was capable of.
I don’t care who else is in the tests. But that doesn’t mean that I become a different person outside the cockpit. But when I’m driving, the only attitude is this: I have to go as fast as I can.
Whatever the outcome of the tests, regardless of who else took part, I was determined to be the first so I could get a place on the team.
When the first three months of the year were behind me, I already knew that there was an opportunity that I could fight for. There were no particularities, but it was clear that many drivers’ contracts were expiring and that many different events were taking place. I had to be patient and use the time I had at my disposal well, so every time I got behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car I tried to work as efficiently as possible.
The patience I showed paid off, for which I am grateful, even though I did not ride this year and there was a certain risk involved, but if I had not taken this risk, the signing of the contract with Alpine would not have taken place.”
Until the end of the season, Duen will remain with the team as a reserve driver, continue working on the simulator and become Pierre Gasly’s new teammate in 2025. Mick Schumacher still has two rounds left with the Alpine Endurance Team in the World Endurance Championship, but he can still be considered one of the contenders for the Sauber seat.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
