In an exciting Formula 2 sprint race at Silverstone, Virtuosi’s Jack Doohan and Prema’s Ollie Bearman were involved in wheel-to-wheel battling that left the Australian driver displeased at the British rookie’s ‘racing standard’. Afterwards, Doohan told Feeder Series and selected media about the frustrating ordeal he weathered on the way to third place.

By Tyler Foster

Wet conditions greeted the grid for the 19-lap sprint race after an earlier downpour had affected F3’s sprint race, and the F2 affair began with a rolling start after three laps behind the safety car. Having won last year’s sprint race at Silverstone, Doohan – who told Feeder Series on Friday that he was aiming for a podium from sixth – soon engaged in a battle with Enzo Fittipaldi. After multiple attempts, Doohan made a move stick on lap seven as Fittipaldi’s Rodin Carlin fishtailed exiting Stowe.

The next car ahead of Doohan was Prema’s Ollie Bearman, who had been running second but lost a place to Isack Hadjar after a spin at Club on lap six and another to Théo Pourchaire the following lap. It was clear that the Virtuosi car had more pace on the drying track, but Bearman’s stout defence of his position began to frustrate Doohan.

The duel between the pair raged until lap 17, when Bearman ran wide at the entry to Vale as Doohan attempted a move down the inside. With Hadjar being passed by Bearman on lap 15 and Doohan on lap 16, the Australian driver’s overtake was for the final podium position.

After the race, the Australian said he felt Bearman, who fell to sixth, had overstepped the mark with his aggressive driving.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t go as smoothly as I would have hoped. Not really the racing standard that I was hoping for, but what I got. I really had to be very smart because if I wanted to commit to any of those moves, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here right now. I’d probably be in the gravel trap.

“Luckily in the end, he was trying to close the door on me but ended up making a mistake, so I was able to get past with no damage, which was nice. And then I could see my pace immediately drop by 2.5 seconds per lap to what I had the whole time. Just unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy to get past as I would have liked.”

Doohan added, “I was a lot, lot quicker, and I wasn’t prepared…to crash to get P3.”

Doohan wanted cleaner battle

In the heat of the moment during the race, Doohan twice called for penalties over the team radio. The stewards investigated Bearman for forcing Doohan off track but decided not to take any further action on the matter.

When asked after the race if he would still have liked to see Bearman receive a penalty, Doohan did not comment, but he made clear that he did not appreciate the nature of the British driver’s defending.

“How he drives his car is up to him, obviously. I will let the stewards dictate that really, but occasionally, by the time I would get to the exit, I wouldn’t be exactly alongside because mid-corner, when I’d get alongside, he would have a snap and go to crash into me, so I’d have to get out and then he would think it’s acceptable to push me then off track,” Doohan said, seemingly referencing a tense moment between the pair on lap 13 at Stowe that caused the Alpine junior to run wide.

“That is not really the standard that I choose to drive by, but he’s a racing driver and he’s fighting for podium positions. Not saying I wouldn’t expect anything less, but maybe a little bit cleaner next time would be great.”

A little bit cleaner next time would be great.

Jack Doohan on his battle with Ollie Bearman

Despite the dramatic battle, Doohan secured his second podium of the season while Frederik Vesti, Bearman’s Prema teammate, extended his championship lead with victory. This was the fifth consecutive points-scoring finish for Doohan, further highlighting his renewed comfort with the Virtuosi car.

“[It’s] great to obviously get back on the podium. Thinking back, it would have been great to get past six laps earlier and be able to hopefully take the fight to Théo. Potentially it was too late for Fred,” he told Feeder Series. “It would have been nice, but at the end of the day I’m happy to get six points.”

Looking at the positives

In a messy qualifying session on Friday, Doohan had the potential for pole but could only manage fourth after being blocked by Zane Maloney on his final flying lap attempt. Nevertheless, it was his fourth consecutive top-five finish in qualifying, an on-track improvement that has boosted his confidence after a disappointing start to his 2023 campaign.

“Yesterday, we were on for pole. Juan Manuel [Correa] had a spin through Maggots and Becketts in front of me, so I had to back out not knowing where he was going to come back on track. That ended up being my lap that I was only a tenth off pole, so quite disappointing, and then I got impeded on the following lap, so to get P4 out of that was quite strong,” Doohan said.

“Looking at the positives, I feel in a good window, I have to say. Finally having something that I’m gaining confidence back is nice. It’s obviously round nine so it’s quite late, but I’m hoping we can keep this up and take advantage of the guys in front when we can.”

Doohan will start behind Victor Martins, Kush Maini and Ayumu Iwasa for the feature race on Sunday morning.

Header photo credit: Alpine F1 Team / XPB Images