These alarming events occurred just before the Australian driver lost his participation in Formula 1 with Alpine.
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Doohan shared his disturbing experience in the latest series of the Netflix documentary Drive to surviveposted on Friday, characterizing the atmosphere around what turned out to be his final race as “pretty heavy.”
In the documentary, Doohan explicitly detailed the nature of the threats. “I received serious death threats for this Grand Prix, saying that they were going to kill me here if I didn’t get out of the car,” he said.
He further explained, “I got six or seven emails saying that if I’m still in the car in Miami, they’re going to cut off all my limbs.”
Beyond the digital threats, Doohan also recounted a physical incident in which he encountered three “armed men,” requiring a call to his security team.
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“I had to call my police escort to come check it,” he explained, although he did not specify how the situation was resolved or identify those responsible.
The incidents coincided with a pivotal moment in Doohan’s career. Having debuted with Alpine in the final race of the 2024 season, he was subsequently dropped and replaced by Franco Colapinto after the Miami event, which marked the sixth race of the 2025 calendar.
Doohan currently holds a reserve driver position for Haas. Following Colapinto’s appointment in May, Doohan publicly addressed the online abuse he and his family had been enduring, suggesting at the time that fans in Colapinto’s home country of Argentina were responsible.
Both Doohan and Colapinto stood out as the only two F1 drivers last season to fail to score any points, with Alpine finishing last in the constructors’ standings.