David Coulthard lauds 20-year-old ‘animal’ trying to break into F1 who’s similar to Michael Schumacher

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David Coulthard has suggested to keep an eye on Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan but Eddie Jordan isn’t sure when he’ll get his chance.

The young Australian featured for Alpine in the first free practice session at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.

And speaking on the Formula For Success Podcast, David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan were discussing the 20-year-old’s future.

As has become very clear this year, it’s becoming more and more difficult for young drivers to break into Formula 1.

You either need a stroke of luck like Logan Sargeant, who was the next driver off the conveyor belt at Williams when Nicholas Latifi.

Or you need to be considered the best talent of your generation and the clamour to sign Oscar Piastri from Alpine shows he was considered a must-have driver on the grid.

The Australian has proved his worth at McLaren and looks like a future championship challenger in the right car.

Jack Doohan drove well in F2 this season and Coulthard has made a comparison between the Alpine youngster and Michael Schumacher.

It’s a huge shout from Coulthard, although Jordan still isn’t convinced it’s going to help him get onto the grid.

Coulthard and Jordan discuss Doohan’s future at Alpine

Discussing the young talent outside of F1, Coulthard said: “I was asked at the weekend who I felt from Formula 2 deserved a crack at Formula 1 and I had to be honest and say I hadn’t really followed closely enough Formula 2 to really have a strong view on it.

“I keep a keen eye on Jack Doohan because our fried Mick Doohan is someone that I used to train with, great champion in motorcycles.

“His son Jack is part of the Alpine academy as their test and reserve driver and I know he’s fit enough, the guy’s an animal in the [Michael] Schumacher sense of being fit.

“It would be great to see him getting a crack but it’s the bottleneck, there just aren’t enough opportunities for these young guys.”

Jordan: “With regards to Jack, there was a part of the season where he probably didn’t do himself, mid-season, he didn’t put himself on the top of everybody’s wishlist.

“And yes he’s come good at the end and hopefully fingers crossed that might be enough. But then you ask yourself, where can he go to?

“Two French drivers [at Alpine] in a French team with a French engine, come on, are they going to sack one of the drivers to put an Aussie in?

“Do I see a way in for him at Alpine? It will be a big ask because I think both of those drivers did enough at Alpine to stay in there, if anything it was the car that let them down.”

Doohan will hope Coulthard and Jordan’s predictions about his chances at Alpine are incorrect.

The 20-year-old finished third in the championship last season behind Theo Pourchaire and Frederik Vesti.

Both drivers – attached with Sauber and Mercedes respectively – are also biding their time to join the F1 grid.

Doohan’s plans for 2024 haven’t been confirmed yet but he needs to find a new challenge as F2 doesn’t look like the pathway to F1 that it’s supposed to be at the moment.

He’s undeniably quick and given he has the same determination to maintain his fitness as Michael Schumacher, that should leave him in good stead.