Crawford to make FP1 debut for Aston Martin in Mexico

Jak Crawford will make his FP1 debut for Aston Martin and next weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix.

The American joined Aston Martin at the start of last season after leaving the Red Bull junior program, and has impressed the team in the simulator alongside his Formula 2 championship challenge this year. The 20-year-old will now been rewarded with a first FP1 outing in Mexico City, taking over Lance Stroll’s car for his F1 debut during a race weekend.

Team principal Andy Cowell says Crawford has earned the opportunity thanks to his work for the team on the F1 project.

“It’s fantastic to give Jak the opportunity to take part in FP1 in Mexico,” Cowell said. “He’s shown real maturity and provided strong technical feedback throughout the year, and these sessions are an important part of how we develop young talent.

“Jak has had a strong season in Formula 2 and has been a key contributor to the development of both the AMR25 and AMR26. This is a great chance for him to continue progressing while helping us gather valuable data.”

Crawford is present at this weekend’s United States Grand Prix in a support role for Aston Martin, but the Sprint weekend format prevents teams from running a rookie in FP1 as there is only one practice session.

“I’m thrilled to drive the AMR25 next week in Mexico for my first official Formula 1 session,” Crawford said. “I’ve worked closely with the team all year, so to now take the next step and get track time on a grand prix weekend is really exciting. Announcing this in Texas, where I’m from, makes it even more special after a busy week with the team and Aramco in Houston.”

Each team has to use a rookie driver on four occasions during the year, and with Aston Martin having already completed two courtesy of Felipe Dugovich in Bahrain and Hungary, Crawford could get a second outing in Abu Dhabi to end the year.

Crawford will become the first American driver to take part in an official F1 session since Logan Sargeant last raced for Williams in the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix.