A violent crash for Alpine rookie Jack Doohan introduced out the pink flags in Free Apply 2 for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka – with the workforce later revealing the reason for the accident.
Having handed his Alpine A525 to order driver Ryo Hirakawa for FP1 on Friday morning, Doohan’s first push lap of the day in FP2 noticed him crash closely going into Flip 1 – with the Australian happily declaring himself “okay” after the incident, earlier than being despatched for checks within the circuit’s Medical Centre.
FP2: Piastri sets the pace as Doohan crashes amid disrupted second practice in Japan
A quirk of the Suzuka observe is that the Drag Reduction System on the rear wing must be flicked off manually by the drivers going into Flip 1, as a substitute of shutting routinely as occurs when the automotive is braked – and evidently it was this that caught Doohan out, in response to the workforce themselves.
“We’re all relieved to see Jack stroll away from his incident in Free Apply 2 and glad to see he’s okay after his precautionary checks,” mentioned Alpine Group Principal Oli Oakes. “It was a misjudgement of not closing the DRS into Flip 1. It’s one thing to be taught from.”
