Jack Doohan's racing reset is taking shape. The Australian, dropped by Alpine after a brief 2025 stint that ended with the team installing Franco Colapinto, will line up on the 2026 European Le Mans Series grid with Nielsen Racing — and tick a 24 Hours of Le Mans debut off the bucket list along the way.
The deal puts Doohan in the #24 Oreca 07 alongside ex-Formula 2 racer Roy Nissany and silver-rated Briton Ed Pearson. James Allen joins the team's sister #27 entry. Nielsen has built a strong LMP2 programme in the wake of its move up from LMP3, and Doohan's signing gives the squad a former F1 race driver as its leading name.
Doohan, who continues to hold a Haas reserve role, framed the move as a chance to broaden his sportscar credentials at speed.
"I'm really excited to be back racing in 2026 and to be joining Nielsen Racing for my first season in LMP2," Doohan said.
He acknowledged that the leap from a single-seater Formula 1 cockpit to a 600-plus horsepower closed-cockpit prototype is not insignificant, but said the team gives him the confidence he needs to learn quickly.
"It's a new challenge with a lot to learn, but I'm confident we'll get up to speed quickly with such a strong team around me," Doohan said.
The driver pairing is a deliberate balance of experience and ambition. Nissany has previously raced in F2 and tested in F1 with Williams, giving Doohan a peer who has been around top-flight machinery, while Pearson brings the silver-rated stints that the LMP2 regulations require. Doohan is bullish about the chemistry the trio can build.
"With Roy Nissany and Ed Pearson, we have a great mix of experience and hunger, and I'm looking forward to building strong chemistry and pushing for results," he said.
Even before the headline 24 Hours of Le Mans entry, Doohan has been visibly enthusiastic about the Oreca 07 — the LMP2 spec chassis that has carried hundreds of cars to Le Mans starts and overall podium finishes.
"The Oreca 07 is a fantastic car and a very different challenge, and I can't wait to get started in the European Le Mans Series," he said.
The ELMS programme launched at the 4 Hours of Barcelona in April, with the Le Mans 24 Hours invitation that comes attached to a full ELMS LMP2 entry locking in Doohan's first start at La Sarthe.
For the Australian, the move is more than a one-off cameo. Le Mans has long been a benchmark for ex-F1 drivers in their post-grid careers — Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley and others have gone on to win it outright — and Doohan, still only 23, is aiming to use the next 18 months to prove he is more than the kid who lost his Alpine seat.
The Haas reserve role keeps a Formula 1 door open, but the message from Doohan now is clear: the next chapter of his career runs through endurance racing. Nielsen, the Oreca 07 and a maiden Le Mans 24 Hours grid slot are the platform. The chemistry with Nissany and Pearson will decide how far it carries him.
