Alpine currently has Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly on its books, both of whom are out of contract at year-end.
Doohan is a member of the Alpine Driver Academy, having swapped from the Red Bull programme ahead of the 2022 season.
That put him in pole position to take on the reserve driver role from Oscar Piastri when he opted to switch to McLaren.
It’s a role Doohan has filled ever since and sees him regularly in the team’s simulator, working with engineers, and will this year afford him 10 days of running in a Formula 1 car.
The reserve role is his sole focus for 2024, having rejected offers to race elsewhere after opting not to remain in Formula 2 for a third season.
According to Ocon, who believes the Australian deserves a shot in F1, Doohan’s contribution is critical.
“100 percent I feel ready,” Doohan told Speedcafe.
“I would have said that before him, but he’s got a bit more of a voice.
“I was in the car with him and Pierre at the start of the year, and with al the data and all the debriefs we can see exactly where we all are, and it was good to see even after winter going back that we’re all very, very close to each other.
“So I feel ready.”
Helping Doohan’s cause is the fact a number of his F2 contemporaries have made positive impacts when they’ve been called up.
Liam Lawson deputised for the injured Daniel Ricciardo in five races last year, and Oliver Bearman took over for Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia earlier this year.
Doohan boasts a better F2 record than both, with six wins to his name, four of them feature races.
“That’s a valid point,” he noted.
“I was in Formula 2 with both, racing against Liam and Ollie. They’re both great drivers.
“I have my time in the category as well where I gave a really good performance.
“I feel that I’m very comfortable in a Formula 1 car and have got a lot of mileage under my belt in all sorts of circumstances. I feel more than ready, if I had to jump and do a good result.”
Doohan is held in high regard by some within Alpine, who’ve suggested he is as fast as Piastri.
A rocky start to his 2023 F2 season hurt his chances, however as an underlying issue with the car meant he wasn’t able to show his full potential.
Once that was sorted, he was again a regular contender for race wins.
While Alpine is across those battles, it also has two French race winners in its cars.
Deposing either Ocon or Gasly is not trivial from a performance or marketing standpoint, though sources within the team are adamant it is less nationalistic than it appears.
As it stands, there are three factors that will likely influence Doohan’s chances of finding a way onto the F1 grid.
The first is what Gasly and Ocon elect to do beyond 2024, and whether there’s a chance to switch to a more competitive package.
Next is what Victor Martins can deliver in F2 this season – the Frenchman is in line behind Doohan for promotion, should an opportunity exist, though his early season form hasn’t been where it needs to be to justify that move.
Martins is also vastly less experienced in F1 machinery, and his scheduled F1 running is less than a third of what Doohan will enjoy this year making the Frenchman an even bigger gamble.
The final consideration will relate to how Alpine sees itself, and how it elects to tackle the future in the short term.
The 2024 campaign has not started well.
The squad is rooted to the back of the grid, and in need of direction. While it’s a problem, it’s also an opportunity.
“I believe that we are in a rebuild phase, we need to acknowledge that now three years into these regulations,” said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, who finds himself in a similar scenario for 2025.
“And rebuild could mean putting a young driver in there and giving him an opportunity with less pressure and fighting for victories immediately, or putting a more experienced driver in the car that can help us dig ourselves out of the current performance picture.”
At Alpine, Doohan is naturally hoping the team opts to take a calculated risk on a young driver, but admits it’s still early doors when it comes to those discussions.
“We’re just starting,” he said of contract discussions.
“I let Alpine and the people around me organise that.
“For now, I’m just trying to make myself as appealing, marketable, and attractive.”
Alpine team boss Bruno Famin shares this sentiment, admitting it’s too early to make decisions on next year’s driver lineup and that Doohan has more work to do to convince him he’s worth a shot in F1.
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