It’s always a historic occasion when an Australian makes it to Formula 1, and Jack Doohan’s fast-tracked debut will be no exception. Doohan, 21 years old, will be the 19th Australian to enter a grand prix and 16th to start a race. The Gold Coast native will also be Australia’s first grand prix driver to hail from Queensland. The son of 500cc motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan, he’s worked hard to crack the premier class in four-wheel motorsport. That effort will culminate in him hitting the track on Friday for first practice in a car with his name on the side of it. Every F1 qualifying session and race LIVE in 4K on Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. But getting to F1 is one thing. Staying there is another challenge entirely. Doohan will have little time to soak up his achievement. The hard work starts now. THE OPPORTUNITY Remarkably Doohan will be the fourth driver to be drafted in mid-season this year, following in the footsteps of Oliver Bearman at Ferrari and Haas, Franco Colapinto at Williams and Liam Lawson at RB. His will arguably be the most surprising debut of the lot, coming with the unexpected departure of Esteban Ocon with one round remaining. Ocon was already set to depart Alpine at the end of the year after a rollercoaster partnership with the French team. His highs have been outstanding. Ocon has scored the Renault-owned team’s two best results since its return to F1 in 2016 — victory at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix and second place in Sao Paulo last month. But his lows have been damaging. He had several on-track altercations with Fernando Alonso over their two seasons together, and he inevitably came to blows with childhood rival Pierre Gasly too. The nadir was this year’s Monaco Grand Prix, where Ocon crashed into his teammate at Portier on the first lap while both were running in the points. He took himself out of the race, but mercifully an ensuing red flag allowed Gasly to restart back in the top 10, from where he scored a point. Then team principal Bruno Famin was so incensed he appeared prepared to sack him on the spot, though he was eventually talked down. PIT TALK PODCAST: McLaren and Ferrari will take the constructors championship down to the first this weekend in Abu Dhabi after a stalemate in Qatar. Meanwhile, at Alpine, Jack Doohan is preparing to make his shock F1 debut in place of the ousted Esteban Ocon ahead of his first full-time season in 2025. But it was clear the relationship was on the rocks. Team and driver announced they wouldn’t be renewing ties into 2025, and Ocon sealed a deal with Haas. The end of that relationship has now been hastened by several factors. One is Ocon’s underperformance in the second half of the season. He’s been qualifying more than a quarter of a second slower the Gasly since the break, equating to around three places on the grid, and he’s scored points just once since the mid-season break, that being his excellent second place in Brazil. It’s a situation that’s bred suspicion, and Ocon has several times hinted — without saying outright — that his underperformance is due to the team, either accidentally or wilfully, given the suddenness and sharpness of his downturn. The second is his request to join Haas in a post-season test. Haas is Alpine’s chief rival for sixth in the championship, a battle that could be worth as much as $15 million. Alpine owes it no favours. With Doohan obviously available to step up immediately, Alpine was motivated to start its next chapter early. Ocon was given a proposition: race in Abu Dhabi and forgo the test or quit the team and get a head start at Haas. It wasn’t a pleasant situation, particularly as it seems to have been put to him just hours before the start of the race in Qatar, according to Autosport . “This is not how I wanted it to end,” he wrote on social media. But Ocon was also motivated to start the next chapter of his career and quit the team. Doohan got his chance. THE THREAT That might be all there is to the story — Alpine wanting to get its protégé a head start for 2025 when it hopes there’ll be more to fight for with a more consistently competitive car. But there are rumours about Alpine’s driver management plans that have refused to fade away. In recent months there have been reports that Alpine has taken an interest in Williams rookie Franco Colapinto. Colapinto’s sudden debut was spectacular. Often a close match for teammate Alex Albon and scoring points in just his second race — his predecessor, Logan Sargeant, hadn’t scored all year — the Argentine immediately turned heads in the paddock. What’s more, because Williams had already signed Carlos Sainz for 2025 — for whom Alpine was also bidding — Colapinto has no drive for next season. Red Bull also reportedly made a play for the 21-year-old but wanted to buy him outright, for which Williams was rumoured to have demanded US$20 million (A$31 million). Alpine, however, is said to have been prepared to take him on loan. With Gasly already signed up on a long-term deal, Doohan was in the gun. But Colapinto’s form has since waned. He wasn’t the only driver to crash heavily in the treacherous wet of Brazil, but his qualifying smash in Las Vegas was a totally unforced error, taking off some of his sheen. An anonymous weekend in Qatar saw Red Bull withdraw its interest, but while Alpine’s enthusiasm is also said to have cooled, it reportedly hasn’t ruled him out entirely. That’s not least because, along with obvious speed, Colapinto also brings with him considerable sponsorship, especially with the prospect of a potential Argentine Grand Prix to follow should he establish himself in the sport. It’s music to the ears of a team that announced this year it would shutter its decades-old engine department to save money. And so Doohan’s early promotion takes on a different meaning. Perhaps it’s not simply a head start. It could also be an evaluation. Alpine management has long talked up Doohan’s prospects as a Formula 1 driver, having been impressed by his speed, commitment and professionalism. But Alpine management has been in a state of upheaval for more than a year now, and while Doohan was confirmed for 2025 only a few months ago, Colapinto wasn’t an option then. And before you wonder whether Alpine could be so ruthless with one of its own juniors before he’s barely had a chance to drive, remember that Ocon is the only race winner and the longest tenured driver in the team’s modern history and still got the flick without the dignity of a farewell race. Sentiment doesn’t come into it. THE CHALLENGE So what will it take for Doohan to pass his first test? While no-one will expect him to match Gasly this weekend, he won’t be allowed too much slack either. He won’t be measured against just his teammate; he’ll also be compared to the other rookie debutants this year. Bearman scored points for seventh in his sudden call-up for Ferrari halfway through the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend at one of the sport’s most challenging tracks. Colapinto’s success as a mid-season debutant is clear, the Argentine demonstrating both speed and racecraft. Lawson, notwithstanding his five grands prix last year, has also done extremely well, finishing ninth in his comeback race in the United States despite starting from the back of the grid with an engine penalty. He’s been a match for teammate Yuki Tsunoda. “I think the problem is you’ve got the benchmark that Bearman set [at Jeddah], which was phenomenal,” Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes said, per Autosport . “And I mean this in a nice way, as he’s hugely talented, but you had Kimi [Antonelli, Mercedes’s reserve driver] with the sort of pressure in Monza [where he crashed in FP1]. “I think at the end of the day Jack’s just got to take it as he finds it. I think he’s professional enough to handle it. “I think as well, once you ease into the weekend, FP1, FP2, you can build up to it as well.” He’ll also carry with him the added pressure of knowing Alpine is hoping to cement sixth in the constructors championship, a battle it leads by five points over Haas and by 13 points over RB. That said, Ocon’s car has finished just once in the points since the end of July, so it would be hard to argue a non-scoring finish by the Australian would make the switch a mistake. Nonetheless, he’ll need to show by the end of the weekend that he’s not out of his depth. He needs to perform capably enough that Colapinto would look like nothing more than a needlessly messy sideways move at best. If he can hold his seat to next year — which, even amid these rumours, is surely highly likely — the threat will rapidly recede. Not only will he be able to quickly close the experience gap to Colapinto, but he’ll be the only one of the two on the grid, absorbing all the spotlight while Colapinto battles for relevance from the sidelines. If you’re only as good as your last race, Doohan’s advantage will be that he’s the only one racing. THE PREPARATION Doohan will arrive in Formula 1 well prepared to take on the sudden challenge, having been an active and engaged Alpine reserve driver since 2022, after finishing a closer runner-up in the 2021 Formula 3 championship. He was then in with a shout for the 2022 F2 crown before a late-season collapse, much of which was owed to an atrocious run of luck. He was subsequently declared a favourite for the 2023 championship, but an undetected cracked chassis for the first five rounds killed his chances — though even then he finished third and only 35 points off the lead, scoring the most points of any driver in the final five rounds. He took a gamble at the end of last year to forgo a racing program, turning down chances to race in different categories to instead fully devote himself to Alpine. He’s been embedded in the team every weekend. For the European rounds he’s also been on the simulator on Friday night, working on a testing program in parallel with the practice sessions, and then flying to the track in time for track action on Saturday. His sim work was considered instrumental to the team’s strong weekend in Monaco earlier in the year and has underpinned the development program that eventually turned the car good late this year. Between races he’s undertaken a private testing program comprising 5000 kilometres in previous-spec Alpine cars to keep him sharp and fit, complementing the two FP1 sessions he’s had this year in Canada and Great Britain as well as the four practice appearances over the past two seasons. “I think the program has been, I dare say, well planned for him,” Oakes said. “I think although the team doesn’t get much credit from the [Oscar] Piastri situation, they obviously are pretty good with young drivers and preparing them. “And I think Jack’s been on that same path. He’s been with me quite a bit in the garage. “He listens to the intercom with me, and Flav [Briatore, executive adviser], giving us his two pennies as well, so I’m sure he’s ready for it.” What he hasn’t done in the last 12 months, however, is feel the pressure of a qualifying lap or the tension of a race start. He hasn’t had to nail a racing pit stop or manage a tyre stint while also competing with other cars. These are the things that could trip him up this weekend, and these are the things to which he must show himself capable of quickly reacclimatising. THE RECORD Along with the Hungaroring and Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi was one of Doohan’s strongest tracks during his Formula 2 years. His first visit in 2021 was just his second race in F2. He qualified an astounding second and just 0.213 seconds slower than pole-getter Oscar Piastri, who shortly afterwards won the championship. He scored points in the second sprint, and though he crashed out of the feature race, a statement had been made. On his return in 2022 he started fifth for the feature race and was setting up for a grandstand victory on the alternative strategy when his front-left wheel fell off, forcing him into retirement. But there would be no stopping him on his final visit, in 2023. He qualified on pole, rose from 10th to sixth in the reverse-grid sprint race and then converted for an emphatic victory in the Sunday feature, promoting him to third in the championship. He should have no trouble finding his way around this circuit, in other words. Alpine, on the other hand, has a less impressive history at the traditional season-closing race. Since returning to the sport in 2016 the French team has collected just seven scoring finishes across either car in Abu Dhabi. Only twice has it got both cars into the points, in 2020 and in 2021. It’s never finished better than sixth, having done so twice, in 2017 and 2018. Last year both drivers failed to score and finished more than a minute off the lead. But Alpine is on the up this season and has a reasonable chance of scoring points. Its average gap to pole over the last five races places it at the head of the midfield, coinciding with what’s turned out to be a season-changing upgrade brought to the United States Grand Prix. Gasly has cracked Q3 three times since then, with an average qualifying result of 8.8. The team has also scored 46 of its 59 points since bringing the upgrade, albeit its double podium in Brazil contributed 35 of those. Scoring points is a tall ask for the Doohan at his first grand prix, when blowing off the cobwebs after a year off the grid will be the priority. But if he’s to pull out a big result, he may have arrived in just the right place at exactly the right time.DeSantis appointee says he won't help his elected replacement take office
Five years since its inception, a US development agency competes with China on global projects
Canada's Trudeau returns home after Trump meeting without assurances that tariffs are off the table
Arabella Chi shows off her baby bump as she strips down to lingerie after revealing pregnancyBy CLAIRE RUSH President-elect Donald Trump has once again suggested he wants to revert the name of North America’s tallest mountain — Alaska’s Denali — to Mount McKinley, wading into a sensitive and decades-old conflict about what the peak should be called. Related Articles National Politics | Inside the Gaetz ethics report, a trove of new details alleging payments for sex and drug use National Politics | An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump National Politics | Trump again calls to buy Greenland after eyeing Canada and the Panama Canal National Politics | House Ethics Committee accuses Gaetz of ‘regularly’ paying for sex, including with 17-year-old girl National Politics | Trump wants mass deportations. For the agents removing immigrants, it’s a painstaking process Former President Barack Obama changed the official name to Denali in 2015 to reflect the traditions of Alaska Natives as well as the preference of many Alaska residents. The federal government in recent years has endeavored to change place-names considered disrespectful to Native people. “Denali” is an Athabascan word meaning “the high one” or “the great one.” A prospector in 1896 dubbed the peak “Mount McKinley” after President William McKinley, who had never been to Alaska. That name was formally recognized by the U.S. government until Obama changed it over opposition from lawmakers in McKinley’s home state of Ohio. Trump suggested in 2016 that he might undo Obama’s action, but he dropped that notion after Alaska’s senators objected. He raised it again during a rally in Phoenix on Sunday. “McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president,” Trump said Sunday. “They took his name off Mount McKinley, right? That’s what they do to people.” Once again, Trump’s suggestion drew quick opposition within Alaska. “Uh. Nope. It’s Denali,” Democratic state Sen. Scott Kawasaki posted on the social platform X Sunday night. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski , who for years pushed for legislation to change the name to Denali, conveyed a similar sentiment in a post of her own. “There is only one name worthy of North America’s tallest mountain: Denali — the Great One,” Murkowski wrote on X. Various tribes of Athabascan people have lived in the shadow of the 20,310-foot (6,190-meter) mountain for thousands of years. McKinley, a Republican native of Ohio who served as the 25th president, was assassinated early in his second term in 1901 in Buffalo, New York. Alaska and Ohio have been at odds over the name since at least the 1970s. Alaska had a standing request to change the name since 1975, when the legislature passed a resolution and then-Gov. Jay Hammond appealed to the federal government. Known for its majestic views, the mountain is dotted with glaciers and covered at the top with snow year-round, with powerful winds that make it difficult for the adventurous few who seek to climb it. Rush reported from Portland, Oregon.Republican U.S. Sen.-elect Tim Sheehy this week claimed a firework-ignited grass fire set near his campaign sign west of Livingston was a politically motivated arson. A Park County sheriff’s deputy on Dec. 21 notified dispatchers of a fire near Interstate 90 and West End Road. On social media, the sheriff’s office said winds that night were clocked at 50-to-60 mph and helped push the fire out to 26 acres. Image of the area west of Livingston burned by someone discharging fireworks into the grass on Dec. 21, 2024. (courtesy Park County Sheriff's Office) Authorities issued evacuations for the nearby residents and firefighters knocked the blaze down in roughly an hour and a half, according to the sheriff’s office post. The fire "definitely" started near a Sheehy campaign sign, the rural fire district chief told the Livingston Enterprise . And while law enforcement has obtained video of the suspect's vehicle fleeing the area after starting the fire, it appeared Friday that no one had been charged yet. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy addresses supporters early Wednesday morning at the Kimpton Armory Hotel in Bozeman. On Tuesday Sheehy appeared near the scorched scene and issued a social media post of appreciation for the responders, which, according to the Enterprise , included neighbors to the threatened properties. He also posted a picture with two Montana Department of Transportation employees, whose facility was adjacent to the burned area, as well as a photo of a blackened building. Initial reports from the sheriff’s office did say the incident was being investigated as a criminal act but did not imply political motivations, although Sheehy appeared certain of it in a video posted to his social media. "We just visited with the Jensen family here, four beautiful young kids, it was actually their third daughter’s birthday the night that these arsonists started the fire to burn down our sign and started about a 30-acre wildfire, burned their grazing land, harmed their property and its just sad that would happen here," Sheehy said. "We can still disagree, we can still respect each other in this country. We don't have to do things like this." Grateful to the Montanans who helped respond to this fire on Saturday before it did even more damage. While the investigation remains underway, this type of dangerous, reckless violence has no place in Montana. Terrible way for these folks to start the Christmas week, but they... pic.twitter.com/djsWv013TT The Park County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook on Monday it had obtained video evidence of a person shooting a firework out of a moving vehicle and igniting the dry grass before heading west on I-190. "It was definitely someone setting off fireworks at the sign," Park County Rural Fire District Chief Dann Babcox told the Enterprise , referencing law enforcement reports. A call to the sheriff's office on Friday seeking any update or arrest information was not immediately returned. "Very disappointing, really tough way for these families to enter the Christmas week," Sheehy continued in his video. "It's effected several families here, including some structures, its a tough way for these people to have to start the holiday season." Seaborn Larson has worked for the Montana State News Bureau since 2020. His past work includes local crime and courts reporting at the Missoulian and Great Falls Tribune, and daily news reporting at the Daily Inter Lake in Kalispell. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. State Bureau Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo today expressed his satisfaction at the US Exim Bank’s approval of the over US$526 million loan for Guyana’s Gas to Energy (GtE) project. “We’re happy that the loan has been approved,” Jagdeo said during a press conference, noting that the approval contradicts claims by the Alliance For Change (AFC) that the loan would not be approved. “I don’t want to rub their noses in the dust but this is a vindication of all that we’ve been saying all along...they’re focused on whether the project will be done on time or delayed a bit; it does not matter to me. What matters is the project is being implemented and will deliver benefits to the people of the country,” he said. The Vice President contended that nothing stopped the former APNU+AFC government from launching a similar project when they were in office but they lacked the vision to do so. “APNU would never work on a project like this. They could have done so since 2016 and they never did,” he said. The Government will commence repaying the loan from May 1, 2031, at an interest rate of 4%. The repayment period is for 15 years. This loan will be instrumental in funding the development of the project’s onshore component, consisting of a 300-megawatt (MW) power plant and natural gas liquids (NGL) processing plant. Responding to criticisms that the Government should desist from borrowing, Jagdeo reminded that the loan only covers 25% of the total cost of the project. The remaining sum is financed by the Government and through an arrangement with the main offshore operator ExxonMobil. He reminded that oil revenue is currently “just 30%” of the National Budget and also that the project contributes to the transition to clean and reliable energy. Further, the benefits of the project will see Guyana saving 460 tonnes of carbon from being emitted into the atmosphere per year which, he said, is equivalent to one million barrels of oil per year, save $100 million in fuel cost and reduce the cost of electricity for consumers.
US, Allies Voice Concerns After Chinese, Philippine Vessels Collide Again in South China SeaCrosslink Capital sells $1.47 million in Weave Communications stockNone