Jak Crawford's F1 ambitions: the Aston Martin reserve forging his own path

The American dream in Formula 1

While Colton Herta embraces his F1 practice debut this weekend, he is not the only American driver with a legitimate shot at securing a spot on the F1 grid. Aston Martin reserve driver Jak Crawford is currently navigating a similar testing program, harboring strong hopes of climbing the motorsport ladder. However, there is one significant difference in Crawford's approach. After completing three full seasons in Formula 2, Crawford has made the bold decision to step away from competitive racing to focus entirely on his F1 test and reserve duties with Aston Martin.

An unexpected opportunity at Suzuka

With Fernando Alonso’s partner expecting their child that week, Aston Martin granted the Spanish veteran some extra leeway for a late arrival to the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, calling upon Crawford to fill the seat. The first practice session was primarily devoted to routine setup work and evaluating new parts, including running with an aero rig attached at one point. Consequently, it was not a significant sacrifice for Alonso's weekend preparation.

The added bonus was that it provided Crawford with an unexpectedly early taste of the AMR26. This invaluable track time allowed him to return to his regular duties in the factory simulator at Silverstone with a newly acquired understanding of the correlation between the virtual environment and the real car.

"It was a good experience," Crawford shared in an exclusive chat. "I really enjoyed the circuit. And yeah, it was great to get a good understanding of this 2026 car, with everything going on with energy management and everything. I was quite comfortable, and up to speed quickly. I think the simulator running helped that, and I already knew a bit what to expect from the car. I did over 200 laps of Suzuka in the simulator, and so I already had a pretty good understanding of everything. And luckily, everything seemed to translate quite well."

Navigating the complexity of the 2026 regulations

Crawford had previously conducted private testing with two-year-old TPC cars, and in December, he participated in the Abu Dhabi rookie test driving the then-current AMR25. However, that was a relatively relaxed test day featuring only nine other drivers on track.

In Japan, the dynamic was entirely different. He had 21 other cars sharing the circuit and a multitude of complex procedures to manage, particularly given the intricate nature of the 2026 models.

"Especially with the energy management around the lap and opening a lap," he noted. "You're going slowly and trying to recover also your energy on slow laps and stuff. And especially with these new regulations, we're trying to test so much, we're running big aero rigs on the cars, we're wanting to try different settings on the steering wheel. So definitely a lot going on!"

Integrating into a large-scale F1 operation straight out of F2 is a daunting task for any young driver, but Crawford has seamlessly fit into the Aston Martin environment.

"It was nice working with all the guys in the garage," he said. "They're such a good group of guys, and I feel like they go through such a hard time working long hours getting the car ready. It's been a rough start to the year, not only for the team, but for the mechanics, just with all the issues we've had in testing – sometimes changing batteries, changing engines, that takes a long time and sometimes no sleep at nights. So a lot of respect for them. And it's nice to be able to work with that many people. I've been hanging around with the team for a while now, so I know a lot of the faces. Everyone's pretty friendly already."

The road ahead: simulator work and future prospects

Crawford has three more FP1 sessions scheduled for the future. While the exact dates remain unconfirmed, sprint weekends and street circuits—where race drivers require maximum mileage—are ruled out.

"It's pretty flexible," he explained. "For Suzuka, for example, I didn't know until the Thursday, which is pretty much a week in advance. That's also part of the job. I'm here to drive the simulator and be reserve driver. And that's what I'm doing. I know I'll get back in the car at some point. I just don't know when. Obviously, it would be beneficial to have the sessions earlier in the season. Suzuka was super beneficial because, third race of the year, and we're trying to develop the car, trying to develop the simulator, and it's good to have already this experience. Even in case I need to jump in the car at some point, it's good to have on-track experience ahead of time."

It is through this relentless dedication to simulator work that Crawford aims to earn his stripes and impress the Aston Martin hierarchy. His schedule involves driving the simulator on the Friday of European race weekends before traveling to join the team trackside on Saturdays. For long-haul flyaway races, he will be embedded with the team for the entire duration.

This includes the upcoming event in Miami, where the sprint format precludes him from participating in FP1. Instead, he will undoubtedly be heavily involved in marketing activities for Aston Martin. (Read more: 2026 Miami Grand Prix: all you need to know)

"Super excited for Miami, one of my three home races now," he said. "Also, it’s the nearest, and the first one of the year. I love going to Miami for the race; it’s great. I wish I was driving—I think that'd be really cool."

The elephant in the room: securing a race seat

While Crawford is making steady progress at Aston Martin, the overarching question remains: what are his realistic prospects for securing a full-time race seat?

Although there is undeniable momentum building around Herta, the environment at Aston Martin presents a different set of challenges. Lance Stroll's position within the team is secure, and should Fernando Alonso depart, team owner Lawrence Stroll will likely seek a proven race winner as a replacement.

Crawford's best hope is to position himself perfectly for when an opportunity arises, potentially leveraging the current surge in F1's popularity within the United States.

"I would hope it would help a bit, let's say from a commercial standpoint," he acknowledged. "But I also feel that all the teams are doing so well nowadays that there isn't huge commercial benefit to be had. F1 is such a big sport now that it doesn't really need drivers from certain nationalities to promote sponsors or anything. And of course, I'm from my side I would love to get there, even if it was for my country. But obviously to get there on merit is even better."

A potential point of concern for Crawford is the trajectory of his predecessor, Felipe Drugovich. The Brazilian won the 2022 F2 title but subsequently spent three years as an Aston Martin reserve without ever securing a race seat. Frustrated by the lack of progression, Drugovich eventually transitioned to Formula E, where he now competes for Cadillac’s sister team, Andretti.

How long can Crawford afford to remain on the sidelines without competitive racing?

"I haven't really thought about it yet, to be honest," he admitted. "Of course, at some point I want to race something, maybe even next year. So it just depends how it all plays out. At this point, I'm not really, really worried about it. I think it's something for later in the year."