Crawford's development journey to continue with latest Aston Martin FP1 outing

Aston Martin’s Jak Crawford’s latest FP1 outing for the team at the Japanese Grand Prix as an important opportunity for his Formula 1 development.

Crawford made two FP1 appearances for Aston Martin towards the end of the 2025 season, driving in Mexico City and Abu Dhabi, while he was rounding out his Formula 2 campaign and earning an FIA Super License. Now in the role of third driver for Aston Martin, the American is solely focused on his F1 responsibilities, and chief trackside officer Mike Krack says getting seat time in a new car is a significant outing.

“It's great that we're able to give Jak another opportunity in FP1 as part of our ongoing commitment to developing young talent,” Krack said. “He has been working hard, especially in the simulator back at Silverstone, and this session will allow him to continue building valuable track experience. It's an important opportunity for him to keep progressing, while also contributing to the team by gathering useful data and feedback.”

Crawford will be driving Fernando Alonso’s car during FP1 at Suzuka, a track he has never driven before on what will be his first visit to Japan. The 20-year-old admits the venue makes the appearance all the more special, as he becomes the first confirmed rookie to complete a practice session this season.

“I'm really excited to get behind the wheel and drive for the team at Suzuka,” Crawford said. “It's such a historic yet demanding circuit, and I can't wait to apply what I've learned in the simulator to real track conditions.

“A big thank you to the team for giving me this opportunity. As with my previous FP1 sessions, I'm looking forward to making the most of it and learning as much as I can.”

Crawford’s role at Aston Martin means he has to be ready to replace either race driver at short notice should they not be able to compete at a race, something he’s previously stated is a complex situation to be in.

“It's the mental side of things that's perhaps more challenging because, more than likely, I'll do all this preparation but I won't actually be in the car in qualifying or the grand prix,” he said. “I need to be ready but not get my hopes up. It's a balancing act.

"From what I've heard when speaking to other drivers, there's not a lot of time to process it if you are needed. You take all the preparation you've done for the weekend, get into the cockpit, and go. It's not lost on me that I've just come out of F2 and I still have tonnes of stuff to learn. Managing each race weekend mentally will be just one of those things.”