Several Formula 2 drivers have been given opportunities in F1 in 2024, and another talent is looking to do the same soon.
Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman will step up from PREMA in Formula 2 to race in the pinnacle of motorsport in 2025, driving with Mercedes and Haas respectively.
Former F2 drivers Liam Lawson and Jack Doohan have also made it to the F1 grid; Lawson this year from Austin onwards with RB as he fights for a seat next year with Doohan joining Alpine in 2025.
Franco Colapinto has been racing for Williams as of the Italian Grand Prix after he was called up to replace Logan Sargeant. In just five races, the Argentine has made a serious impact and is looking to land a permanent seat in F1.
While some drivers have been afforded their chances in F1, others are waiting for that opportunity. Championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto is being heavily linked with Sauber, while Isack Hadjar is set to become Red Bull’s reserve driver in 2025.
Jak Crawford is ‘eyeing’ a reserve role at Aston Martin in 2025 and a race seat in 2026
American driver Jak Crawford is among those F2 talents looking to break into F1. The 19-year-old is currently fifth in the standings with two rounds to go and will embark on his third season F2 next year with DAMS.
Crawford, who has scored 173 points across his two seasons in F2 so far, was part of the Red Bull junior team from 2019 until the start of this year. It was then that Crawford saw no path to a permanent F1 seat with Red Bull and opted to leave the team.
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The 19-year-old went on to sign with Aston Martin, joining their driver development programme. Crawford was handed his first F1 test in July, driving the AMR22 at the Red Bull Ring before getting a second run in the car at the circuit a month later.
According to Motorsport.com, the American is ‘eyeing’ a reserve role with Aston Martin next year, and if everything works out in his favour, a full-time race seat with the team in 2026.
Aston Martin will continue to have two-time champion Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll in their cars for 2025, and Crawford says he has ‘learned so much’ from the Spaniard and that he has applied his learnings into F2.
“I’ve been able to learn so much from Fernando [Alonso], mainly off-track, just listening to him in engineering meetings. It’s great to hear what he and Lance [Stroll] say about the car and the language they use because I’m able to apply that to my work with my [F2] team,” he said.
Current Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich may leave the team come 2025
For the 2024 season, Aston Martin retained their reserve drivers Felipe Drugovich and Stoffel Vandoorne, with only the former making any appearances on track on an F1 weekend.
While Vandoorne competes in both Formula E and WEC, Drugovich’s future is currently unknown as he searches for a full-time race seat in 2025.
The 25-year-old is exploring his options across different categories. He recently had a test in IndyCar with Chip Ganassi Racing, as Drugovich’s future seems to be away from Aston Martin and F1.
Drugovich wants to compete for the championship in whatever series he races in and it will be interesting to see where the Brazilian does end up. If he is to leave Aston Martin, there will be a spot in the team that Crawford will be eager to fill.