F1 Driver Jack Doohan Received 'Serious Death Threats' Last Season, Was Told 'All My Limbs Will Be Cut Off'
F1 Driver Jack Doohan Received 'Serious Death Threats' Last Season, Was Told 'All My Limbs Will Be Cut Off'
Stacy LambeThu, February 26, 2026 at 7:11 PM UTC
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Jack Doohan at the Austria Grand Prix on June 27, 2025Credit: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty -
Jack Doohan, who was a Formula 1 driver for Alpine during the 2025 racing season, revealed that he received "serious death threats" last year
He said that people were threatening to cut off all his limbs if he continued driving for the team
The revelations were made public during season 8 of 'Formula 1: Drive to Survive' on Netflix
Formula 1 driver Jack Doohan faced what he calls some "pretty heavy stuff" while racing for Alpine during the 2025 season.
On season 8 of Formula 1: Drive to Survive, which debuts Friday, Feb. 27 on Netflix, the 23-year-old Australian detailed the external pressures he faced during his full-time debut on the racing circuit last year. Driving for Alpine, Doohan was partnered with fellow racer Pierre Gasly but struggled to make pole position during the first five Grands Prix of the season.
During episode two of the docuseries, Doohan was seen dealing the mounting criticism inside and outside the track. "There's been so much s--- in the press in the last two, three months," he said at one point, before Gasly, 30, said, "I feel for the guy because everybody is talking about him in a way that is quite toxic."
"It's not easy to deal with the pressure, tension, death threats," Gasly added, noting that Doohan was only 22 years old at the time.
Jack Doohan at the Miami Grand Prix on May 3, 2025Credit: Alessio De Marco/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
"On top of all this, I got serious death threats for this Grand Prix. Saying they're gonna kill me if I'm not out of the car," Doohan later went on to say in the episode, adding that he got emails "saying if I’m still in the car by Miami [Grand Prix], that I’ll be — you know, all my limbs will be cut off."
The Miami Grand Prix in Florida was just the sixth race of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship, with 18 more still to go at that point.
Doohan then recounted a harrowing incident where he was "with my f---ing girlfriend and my trainer, and I got three f---ing men, like, armed men. One at that window, one there and I had to call my police escort to come and get it under control."
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Before the end of the episode, Doohan noted that what he was going through at the time was "pretty heavy stuff. It's not the nicest way to be going racing."
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Unfortunately, Doohan's performance at Miami, where he qualified 14th before retiring after a collision in the first lap of the main race, did not improve. He was subsequently demoted to a reserve driver while Alpine went through some shakeups in its roster.
After the season ended, Alpine announced on Jan. 13, 2026 via X that Doohan had been let go from the team, stating that "it has reached a mutual agreement with Jack Doohan to not continue his driving services with the team for the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship season and allow him to pursue other career opportunities."
Jack Doohan on season 7 of 'Formula 1: Drive to Survive'Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Nearly a month later, on Feb. 3, Haas announced that Doohan would be joining the American team as one of its reserve drivers.
"Welcoming Jack to the family," the team posted to X at the time. "We're excited to announce the signing of Australian Jack Doohan as our Official Reserve Driver for the 2026 season."
They added, "The team will now hold two drivers in the reserve role with Jack joining Ryō Hirakawa in duties."
"I’m thrilled to be joining TGR Haas F1 Team," Doohan said in a statement, per Formula1.com. "It’s the ideal place to continue my Formula 1 career."
The 2026 Formula 1 World Championship officially kicks off with the Australian Grand Prix on March 8.
Formula 1: Drive to Survive season 8 debuts Friday, Feb. 27 on Netflix.
on People
Source: “AOL Sports”
