Aston Martin has confirmed that its reserve driver, Jak Crawford, will participate in the first practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix taking place in Suzuka this weekend.
The young American driver made his F1 debut a few months ago, just four days after joining the team, participating in the practice session of the Mexico City GP last October. His performance was well received, which opened the doors for a second practice session at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
In addition to his practice experiences, Crawford has accumulated over 1860 miles of testing with both current and past F1 vehicles, thus broadening his experience and knowledge behind the wheel.
“I’m very excited to get into the car and drive for the team at Suzuka,” Crawford expressed. “It’s a historic and challenging track, and I hope to apply what I’ve learned in the simulator in real conditions. Thanks to the team for this opportunity; like in my previous sessions, I hope to take advantage of this time to learn as much as I can.”
Crawford secured second place last season in Formula 2 and has served as a reserve driver for the Andretti Global team in Formula E. In a comment about his participation, the team’s track operations director, Mike Krack, emphasized the importance of providing these opportunities for the development of young talents.
“It’s fantastic to be able to offer Jak a new opportunity in FP1, reaffirming our commitment to developing new drivers,” said Krack. “He has been working intensively, especially in the simulator at Silverstone, and this session will allow him to continue gaining experience and provide valuable data to the team.”
On another note, driver Kalle Rovanpera, who was set to compete at Suzuka in the Super Formula single-seater series, has had to withdraw for health reasons. Rovanpera, two-time world rally champion, began his single-seater career in early 2026, participating in the Formula Regional Oceania.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
