- Jack Doohan was hiding a secret during Japanese GP
- Australian had to be helped from his car after the race
Heart-wrenching footage has emerged of Aussie F1 star Jack Doohan struggling to exit his car after the Japanese Grand Prix, just days after a dramatic high-speed crash during practice.
Doohan, 22, was lucky to walk away from a terrifying 331km/h crash during the second practice session that saw him slam into a tyre wall on Friday.
The Alpine rookie confirmed to his team that he was OK but was seen walking gingerly away from his car accompanied by the medical team.
The youngster, who is under immense pressure to perform, did well to hide his injury over the weekend – but footage from the end of the GP shows how serious it was.
A clip that has been shared widely on social media shows Doohan unable to use his left arm to push himself out of the cockpit and is eventually assisted by a mechanic and former teammate Esteban Ocon.
The video shows him struggling noticeably with labored movements as he shuffles away with Ocon wrapping his arm over his shoulders.
A shocking video shows that Aussie Jack Doohan couldn’t use his left arm during the Japanese Grand Prix
Fans are now wondering how the Australian was approved to race and if he will have time to recover for his next race.
Meanwhile, four-time defending champion Max Verstappen broke through for his first win of 2025, holding off McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
After starting from pole, the Red Bull superstar was never troubled on Sunday as predicted rain never came to wreck havoc, and he clinched a fourth-straight victory at the Suzuka circuit.
The top-three never swapped the positions they earned during qualifying as the trio set the early pace this season.
‘The two McLarens were pushing me very hard, and it was a lot of fun out there,’ said Verstappen, who claimed the 64th win of his career.
‘Not easy, of course, to manage the tyres. But I’m incredibly happy.
‘Started off quite tough this weekend, but we didn’t give up.
‘We kept improving the car, and today it was in its best form.’
Doohan was involved in a terrifying high-speed crash during the second practice session
Max Verstappen notched up his first win of 2025, holding off McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
Norris won the season-opening race at Albert Park in Melbourne, while Australian star Piastri broke through with a superb drive in China two weeks ago.
Piastri secured the 12th podium of his career, admitting he needed to qualify better to secure back-to-back wins.
‘The pace today was really, really good, and was very happy with that,’ the 24-year-old said.
‘Obviously we got close a few times and tried to mount a challenge, but the track position around here is just so important.
‘I think yesterday was the day where Max effectively won the race and we didn’t do a good enough job.
‘I’ll take the podium. There’s still a lot of positives to take out this week.
‘The pace was was mega. Next time I’ll make sure I’m in a better position to use it.’
