Jack Doohan was involved in a terrifying crash during Practice 2 at the Japanese Grand Prix on Friday, just minutes into the session. As he approached Turn 1 at a staggering 331 km/h, the rear of his Alpine suddenly lost grip, causing his car to spin out uncontrollably.
Doohan’s car rotated multiple times before slamming into the barriers with immense force. Despite the severity of the incident, the Australian driver radioed in to confirm that he was okay, though it took him a while to exit his car.
Doohan, managed to get out of the wrecked Alpine and walked cautiously to the medical car. The crash brought out the red flag, halting the session less than 10 minutes into the second free practice.
Replays of the incident showed that the car had spun as soon as Doohan turned into the high-speed right-hander of Turn 1, a corner that tightens into Turn 2. The onboard footage did not suggest any driver error; instead, it appeared that the rear of the car simply lost grip, leading to the heavy collision.
Doohan misses opening practice session
This latest crash was an unfortunate setback for Doohan, who had already missed the first practice session after being replaced by reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa. The 22-year-old was hoping to make up for lost time in FP2, but the crash curtailed his running to just four laps. He had been on the hard tyres when the incident occurred, and his session ended abruptly with the Alpine destroyed, leaving him unable to gather crucial data for the rest of the weekend.
