Felipe Drugovich has found himself in the same trap that many Formula 2 drivers do after winning the championship recently.
After failing to find a drive on the Formula 1 grid, he has now been left to race in endurance racing as he searches for a future opening.
His talent suggests that he deserves an opportunity, but the limit of his chances appears to be his role as test and reserve driver for Aston Martin.
Perhaps if Lance Stroll was sent to help the team’s Hypercar efforts in WEC, then there could be an opening alongside Fernando Alonso, but there’s no guarantee of a promotion to it.
Chip Ganassi gathered ‘good information’ on Felipe Drugovich
It has left the Brazilian searching for opportunities elsewhere, and rightly so, as he is about to hit some of his best years as a racing driver.
He has driven all sorts of cars this year, from Formula 1 cars, to Formula E, and now even IndyCar – with a taste of North America’s premiere single-seater category now ticked off.
Speaking on behalf of the Chip Ganassi team, performance director Chris Simmons told RACER he was pleased with Drugovich’s running in a test at Barber Motorsports Park.
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“You never know what you’re going to get on an evaluation day, but luckily, his feedback was good and he was up to speed pretty quickly,” he said.
“So we’re able to run through some test items, some things that were probably good for him to feel, and some things for us to try out.
“We learned a little bit for ourselves and hopefully a little bit for Honda, and certainly got some good info on Mr. Drugovich for the future.”
What are Drugovich’s best options for 2025?
The main problem that many drivers face in IndyCar at the moment is that there is a lack of seats across the grid.
As many as 10 drivers are fighting for a seat at Juncos Hollinger Racing, with the Argentine-American outfit and Rahal Letterman Lanigan the only teams with two undecided seats.
Sponsorship is important, and those with the bigger sums get to skip the queues in some instances, making it difficult for drivers like Drugovich who are gunning for roles mainly with their talent.
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Based on his European junior formulae background, the incoming PREMA team are probably very familiar with his services from his time in Formula 2.
They have one final seat left alongside Callum Illot for 2025 and could opt to have two young proven single-seater drivers in their car for their first season in the series.