Jak Crawford to replace Lance Stroll in Austrian GP first practice
Aston Martin has confirmed that Jak Crawford will take over Lance Strollâs AMR26 for the opening practice session at next weekâs Austrian Grand Prix, giving the American another opportunity to build Formula 1 mileage in a live race weekend environment.
The outing at the Red Bull Ring will be Crawfordâs second FP1 appearance of the 2026 season, after he previously drove Fernando Alonsoâs car during first practice in Japan. It also marks his fourth FP1 run for Aston Martin overall, following appearances at the 2025 Mexico City and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix before his Suzuka session earlier this year.
Aston Martin continues young-driver programme
Under Formula 1âs rules, each regular race driver must hand over their car twice during the season to a young driver who has contested no more than two grands prix. Crawfordâs Austria run means Aston Martin will have completed two of its required four young-driver FP1 slots for the campaign.
Both Alonso and Stroll will therefore still need to sit out one further FP1 session each later in the season. The programme sits within a broader phase of driver planning at Aston Martin, where Alonsoâs long-term association with the team has also been a recent talking point, including reports around a possible future role covered here.
Crawford targets useful feedback
Crawfordâs latest chance comes shortly after additional running in the 2026 car, with the American having completed a Pirelli tyre test in Barcelona earlier this week. That mileage, combined with his simulator work, gives Aston Martin a stronger baseline as it prepares to evaluate him again in race-weekend conditions.
âItâs great to have another opportunity to drive the AMR26 during a race weekend,â Crawford said. âAustria is a circuit I know well, and itâs quite special to be returning to the Red Bull Ring with the team, almost two years after my first test in an Aston Martin F1 car.â
He added: âIâve spent a lot of time in the simulator this season supporting the team and recently completed the tyre test in Barcelona, so Iâm looking forward to applying that work on track. Every opportunity in a Formula 1 car is valuable, and Iâll be focused on delivering useful feedback and maximising the session for the team.â
Krack: Austria a valuable development step
Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack described the FP1 run as another important stage in Crawfordâs progression as the teamâs Third Driver.
âJak continues to play an important role as Third Driver, and this FP1 session is another valuable step in that process,â Krack said. âHe has been heavily involved in our simulator programme throughout the season and recently completed productive running during the Pirelli tyre test in Barcelona.â
Krack added that Austria would allow Aston Martin to assess Crawfordâs progress while also collecting valuable data across the first hour of practice.
Simone Scanu
Heâs a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.