Jack Doohan celebrates the first F2 victory of his career. (Image: Formula Two)
Australian driver Jack Doohan has begun making inroads on the Formula One scene by displaying impressive performances in Formula Two.
In his maiden F2 season, the Aussie has produced exciting racing, competing with the big boys of F2.
As we surpass the halfway mark of the F2 season, we can get a grasp of how Doohan is tracking.
Maiden win? Check!
After seven rounds made up of a sprint and feature race, Doohan sits eighth in the championship with 57 points.
From those 14 appearances on track, Doohan has achieved two pole positions, three fastest laps, and two podiums – one of which was his first F2 victory.
Last week at Silverstone, Doohan clinched his maiden F2 victory, allowing him to climb the championship leaderboard.
He began the race in fourth, overtaking the likes of Juri Vips, Jehan Daruvala, and Enzo Fittipaldi. He stretched to his biggest lead by lap 16, before the pack began their resurgence.
Doohan managed to take the top step of the Silverstone podium. Much like his father did as a motorcycle racer in the 1990s.
How is Doohan tracking in 2022?
Among his competition within the top eight, Doohan is one of two drivers who are in their first F2 season.
The other is American Logan Sargeant, who is having a great season – third in the championship with 88 points.
Doohan’s immediate competition consists of six drivers, all within five points of one another. Dennis Hauger and Frederik Vesti, also in their first F2 season are 10th and 11th respectively, with 55 and 54 points each.
Enzo Fittipaldi is one point behind Doohan in ninth position. While Juri Vips and trans-Tasman duo – Liam Lawson and Marcus Armstrong have 59 points.
To be the second-highest ranked F2 rookie is no easy feat. Six drivers above him have a full season of experience over him, they are expected to be more advanced.
More Formula One News:
British Grand Prix: Carlos Sainz clinches maiden victory
Canadian Grand Prix: Verstappen makes it six straight wins for Red Bull
‘I’d rather go to Bathurst’: What would a Bathurst F1 GP look like?
In the footsteps of Oscar Piastri
It would be tough to follow in the footsteps of fellow countrymen and reigning F2 champion – Oscar Piastri.
Upon further examination, it can be found that the starts of Pisastri and Doohan’s F2 careers are quite similar. As we compare their performances up to the midway point of the season, there is room to improve for Doohan.
Piastri only competed in F2 for one season, winning the championship by 60.5 points.
However, Piastri’s title-winning season was only eight rounds – consisting of three races – two sprints and a feature race.
In direct comparison to Piastri, Doohan stacks up nicely at the halfway stage of the season. He has the same number of wins – one, and one more pole position than the reigning F2 champion.
Despite this, Piastri achieved two more podiums than Doohan and the same number of fastest laps.
In terms of point generation and consistency – halfway through the season, Piastri produced better numbers. Piastri only finished outside of the top 10 on two occasions, while Doohan has done so four times thus far.
Another Aussie to watch
Doohan isn’t the only Australian competing in F2 this season. 22-year-old Calen Williams from Perth is also in his first F2 season, after two seasons in Formula Three.
Williams hasn’t fared as well as Doohan, presenting as a backmarker for the Trident Racing Team.
He has collected five points, with a fourth-place finish in the sprint race in Saudi Arabia his best result thus far. He led the race at points but was unable to keep up with the front runners, eventually falling to fourth.
Both Doohan and Williams could use another season within F2. Not only to gain more experience but the state of the current driver market leaves them unfavoured.
Subscribe to our newsletter!
About Author
![Shane van Gisbergen celebrates winning the 2022 Supercars Championship [PHOTO: supercars Twitter]](https://www.theinnersanctum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Adelaide-500-Feature-Image-300x169.png)
