FIA Formula 2 Champion Felipe Drugovich will be reserve Formula 1 driver for Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant in 2023. The Brazilian is already scheduled to contest FP1 for the Silverstone based team at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Felipe Drugovich will join the Aston Martin F1 team’s driver development programme after winning the Formula 2 World Championship at the weekend, the manufacturer announced on Monday. The Brazilian will become one of the team’s reserve drivers and will drive his first car at this level during free practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in mid-November.
Meet the first member of the @AstonMartinF1 Driver Development Programme: 2022 @Formula2 Champion, @FelipeDrugovich. pic.twitter.com/RbLdyCXIB6
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) September 12, 2022
“This is a fantastic opportunity for me and crowns a very successful 2022 season from my point of view. The Formula 2 title is considered the best possible bid for Formula 1,
“For me, 2023 will be an apprenticeship year and I hope it will give me the opportunity to race in Formula 1 in the future,” Drugovich said.
This also frees Nico Hülkenberg, the teams’ previous reserve driver, to potentially follow his former boss Otmar Szafnauer to the Alpine F1 Team.
“Felipe Drugovich is the first member of our driver development programme (…), which aims to provide a gateway for young drivers to enter Formula One,” the British team said in a statement.
“As a member of the programme, he will become one of the team’s reserve drivers,” it added, alongside incumbents Lance Stroll and two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso.
Drugovich, who at the age of 22 became Formula 2 champion in Italy this weekend for the first time in his career, is expected to take part in the first free practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, replacing Lance Stroll, in mid-November.
He is also due to take part in the young drivers’ test at the Yas Marina circuit in the Emirate in November. In 2023, the Brazilian “will undertake an extensive test programme in the 2021 AMR21 car and attend some Grands Prix as a member of the team,” the team said.
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