Aston Martin have announced Jak Crawford as their reserve driver for the 2026 F1 season.
Crawford’s promotion to the reserve role comes as Felipe Drugovich prepares to focus on his maiden Formula E campaign after three seasons in the back-up position.
The 20-year-old American currently lies second in the F2 standings with a 19-point deficit to leader – Leonardo Fornaroli with two rounds left of this season, and has completed his first FP1 outing for Aston Martin in Mexico where he finished second slowest.
Crawford nevertheless is “incredibly proud” to secure a promotion to the reserve driver position for next season, having switched from Red Bull to Aston Martin’s Young Driver Programme in February 2024.
“I’m incredibly proud to be confirmed as the Third Driver for 2026. It’s a huge moment in my journey with Aston Martin Aramco and a big motivation to keep learning and contributing.
“Over the past two seasons, I’ve learned so much from being in the Formula 1 environment, both at the factory and trackside. I’ll be doing everything I can to support the team and continue developing as a driver.”
Aston Martin’s CEO and Team Principal, Andy Cowell added: “It is great to see Jak progress to become our Third Driver for 2026. Over the past two years, he has shown his value as a key member of our driver squad and built up a valuable bank of experience and test mileage.
“Jak has impressed in the simulator, having completed regular sessions at the AMR Technology Campus to support our race operations and car development. Jak’s performances in Formula 2 have also been outstanding, and we are excited to continue supporting his growth as he takes on a bigger role.”
Confirmation of Crawford’s reserve position came hours after FIA announced that Aston Martin had conducted a minor procedural breach in relation to the submission of 2024 accounts.
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