Alan McNish: Jack Duane has a strong personality

      Alan McNish, a former racing driver and now Audi's director of motorsport program coordination, has known Jack Duane for many years, and now, watching him prepare for his first full season in Formula 1, notes the psychological resilience of the 22-year-old Australian.

      According to McNish, he was actually raised in a racing environment, because his father, Mick Duane, won the World Motorcycle Racing Championship (now MotoGP) five times, so Jack was not surprised by the various stresses that a young racer has to deal with in the Formula 1 paddock.

      Duane has been studying at the Alpine Academy since 2022, has been a reserve driver for the Renault factory team since 2023, and last summer it was announced that he would become Pierre Gasly's new team-mate in 2025, replacing Esteban Ocon.

      However, Flavio Briatore, who was impressed by Franco Colapinto's successful debut at Williams, invited the Argentine to join the team as a reserve driver and openly stated: "If one of the drivers does not progress, does not bring me results, I will replace him."

      At the same time, Oliver Oakes, the head of Alpine F1, speaks highly of Duane: "He's also doing well because all this noise around his name doesn't affect him, and he's coping with this situation very well..."

      Now McNish also spoke out in support of Jack: "Formula 1 is characterized by an uncomfortable atmosphere, but he got a place in this team because of his results. Now he has the opportunity to prove himself, and when you get the chance, you need to use it properly.

      Jack is distinguished by his strong character and psychological resilience – he is an experienced guy in this regard, since he started motorsport a long time ago and grew up in this environment. He is not surprised that there is a kind of inter-factional struggle going on here."