Jack Doohan admits he was "very lucky" to stay in Red Bull academy after difficult 2020

Jack Doohan has admitted he was "very lucky" to stay in the Red Bull driver academy after a difficult year in 2020.

Jack Doohan has admitted he was lucky to stay in the Red Bull academy after a difficult year in 2020. (Dutch Photo Agency/Red Bull Content Pool)

“The key thing with Red Bull is to perform, if you’re not performing, you’re not there, so I was very lucky to have stayed on after a year like last year” said Doohan.

Doohan finished second in the 2020 F3 Asian Championship after a series of duels with Ukyo Sasahara in the final rounds saw him unable to catch championship leader Joey Alders.

He then finished 26th in the standings after an extremely challenging FIA Formula 3 season, kept outside of the points all year with a season-high eleventh-place finish.

“For them to go forward they want the best drivers, they don’t want just anyone in their four seats in Formula 1 they want the best of the best, so if you perform that’s all they ask for, so hopefully I can continue to do so and I can keep moving up,” he said.

Jack Doohan celebrates his first FIA Formula 3 victory in France. (Dutch Photo Agency/Red Bull Content Pool)

Doohan has enjoyed a remarkable change of form in 2021, on the podium in Spain and taking his first race victory in the most recent French round.

The Australian told In the Fast Lane that his results this year can be attributed to a change in his mindset.

“I think I’ve stopped really thinking about that path and the route to get there, in my mind if I perform and I can do the job, if I can win the championship or at least be in the top three, top two and be fighting for wins and podiums each weekend then that path will take care of itself."

"I worry about what I can control and that’s my results on the track.”