What's it like to be a racing driver who's not racing?

Jak Crawford was one of the standout performers in Europe's junior ranks during 2025, finishing runner-up in the Formula 2 championship in Formula 2 with four wins to take his total career victory tally in the category to six.

The American arrived in F2 as an 18-year-old, and left it at the age of 20 with only eight drivers having won more races since the series' inaugural season in 2017. Crawford dovetailed that final year with an F1 role at Aston Martin, securing his Super License and being promoted to third driver for this year.

But that’s where the racing stopped, for now.

“Sometimes it feels a bit strange, on these early Sunday mornings, always watching the F3 and F2 and thinking about how I would do in the races if I was there," he says. "Thinking about my past experiences at this track [Budapest], some good ones, some bad ones. I definitely miss it a bit.

“I feel like I've been really busy. Not that I don't miss (racing), but I thought it was going to be worse, that I was going to miss it a lot more. I've been so busy driving in the simulator, actually having a lot of time in the car, which has been great. It hasn't been too bad. We've been super-busy here. I'm really excited to help the team grow and stuff, so it's a good challenge.”

To say his racing has stopped is actually not quite true, because Crawford says he has competed in two 24-hour karting races in rental karts so far this year. But the main focus has been on track time in the Aston Martin, with three FP1 outings as well as Pirelli tire testing that also saw him drive at the Hungaroring at the end of July.

But with no opportunities to compete against other drivers trying to earn an F1 seat, Crawford admits it is tough to maintain the momentum he was building up in the past.

“It’s fairly difficult," he says. "As we've seen in the past, it's what I've expected. We've seen with other drivers who have done really well in F2 that they can easily get lost.

"I think being here [at each race] is super important every week, first of all. Luckily I'm required at every race for the team, and they want me here to help. And of course to be here as a backup – being here always helps.

“Any opportunity I get in an F1 car, FP1s, if I'm able to do a good job… I have done in the last three FP1s. Of course our car wasn't very competitive, so there were no headlines. I think the best I placed was 20th, so that's not a huge headline. But I still feel like I drove really well. All of that is there for people to see.”

The temptation for a young driver to try and make a statement with an FP1 outing must be great, given the additional visibility compared to simulator work or tire testing. But Crawford says Aston Martin has created an environment where he feels no pressure to do so.

“The team only wants a few things from me," he says. "One, they want, of course, a clean car. They trust me, Fernando (Alonso) and Lance (Stroll) trust me to drive the car, so everyone trusts me when I get in the car.

Without racing to keep himself in the spotlight, Crawford makes the most of every FP1 opportunity afforded to him by Aston Martin. Sam Bagnall/Getty Images

“Everyone's really happy when I'm able to drive, because it just gives more feedback. Other than that, the team wants to make sure that I'm ready in case I have to jump in any time in the future. So I'm getting as much car time as possible and I'm up to speed quickly, so that if I do ever get an opportunity, I'm prepared for it. So that's super important to them.

"And of course, from a development standpoint, it's about taking it back to the simulator and trying to correlate as best as possible. So there's not really expectations. I always go out and do my best, and I never drive over the limit. And luckily, I'm fast enough that I don't have to drive to the absolute limit to be fast.”

There’s a confidence in Crawford’s voice when describing the work he has been doing for Aston Martin so far this year, but as he speaks, his eyes are also fixed on the Formula 2 feature race playing out live on the screen in the team’s motorhome. After all, for all the upsides of being an F1 reserve driver, this is the first year in his career that he’s not been racing. Crawford admits he wants it to be his last.

“I'm just trying to see what's available," he says. "If there's anything here in the F1 paddock, of course, I would love to be racing. I'm happy as well here [Aston Martin]. Of course, if I end up doing the same role next year, I'm still happy with that.

“I'm very committed to the team, and I want to be there and help out. Of course, in a race seat here with Aston Martin would be better. But I'm still happy with my role here, maybe trying to find some other driving opportunities somewhere alongside the reserve role. I think it would be a great opportunity, and (it's) something that I kind of want.

“I think it's also important for my future to not go two full years without racing, and to start to create relationships in other places for my future. Because if I don't end up racing in Formula 1, I have to race in something else. And I want to race in something else. I have to figure out what that is.”

Aside from an F1 promotion, securing a race seat in another series can also be more challenging after a year as a third driver than it would be coming straight from F2, given the rare opportunities that drivers are given to keep themselves in the shop window. But Crawford has a clear preference if his F1 dream doesn’t turn into a reality next season.

“I really like IndyCar at the moment," he says. "There's been a lot of interest there, which has been great. I love the IndyCar stuff, especially the road and street courses. I like the ovals, but at the moment that's not something that really helps me in my development and driving.

“I love the IndyCar stuff and that's what I'm naturally good at anyway. Single-seater stuff, that's what I've been racing for the last six years. And what I've made a name in. So I would love to continue in that.

“Although there's so many other things. The sports car stuff, WEC, IMSA, that all interests me as well. So there's so many different things. Formula E has a new car coming. So there's a lot of different things that interest me.”

Technically now a step closer to an F1 seat than he was a year ago, Crawford has been directing his full focus to his Aston Martin role in 2026 so far. But all a racer wants to do is race, and unless an F1 seat opens up unexpectedly, that might mean an even more hectic schedule – and some broader horizons – next season.