Crawford to get next Aston Martin FP1 run in Austria

Jak Crawford will make another appearance for Aston Martin during first practice at the Austrian Grand Prix, as he continues his development as third driver.

Aston ran Crawford for the first time this season at Suzuka, in part to allow Fernando Alonso to arrive in Japan later than usual as a result of the birth of his first child. While many teams then opted to use up a rookie FP1 outing in Barcelona last weekend, Crawford’s next opportunity was pushed back to Austria, where he has also tested Formula 1 cars in the past.

“It's great to have another opportunity to drive the AMR26 during a race weekend,” Crawford said. “Austria is a circuit I know well, and it's quite special to be returning to the Red Bull Ring with the team, almost two years after my first test in an Aston Martin F1 car.

“I've spent a lot of time in the simulator this season supporting the team and recently completed the tire test in Barcelona, so I'm looking forward to applying that work on track. Every opportunity in a Formula 1 car is valuable, and I'll be focused on delivering useful feedback and maximizing the session for the team.”

Crawford will drive Lance Stroll’s car during the Friday practice session, with chief trackside engineer Mike Krack suggesting the outing represents a chance for the American to show the team his development rate to try and earn consideration for a race seat in future.

“Jak continues to play an important role as third driver and this FP1 session is another valuable step in that process,” Krack said.

“He has been heavily involved in our simulator program throughout the season and recently completed productive running during the Pirelli tire test in Barcelona. Austria provides another opportunity for us to evaluate his progress in a race weekend environment while gathering valuable data for the team.”

21-year-old Crawford is not racing alongside his F1 duties for Aston Martin this weekend, having finished as runner-up to Leonardo Fornaroli in last year’s F2 championship. Fornaroli tested for Haas at Jerez this week, as Ayao Komatsu’s team evaluates the McLaren reserve driver should a race seat become available for 2027.