Aston Martin reserve driver Jak Crawford has stated the team will be “prepared” for what he believes will be an eventual reality in which it enjoys a resurgence in Formula 1.
The Silverstone-based squad‘s 2026 has been one of disappointment, difficulty and hard work to eradicate the damage that’s causing its on-track suffering.
With a late development of its 2026 car – the AMR26 – and the accompanying issues posed by its underpowered Honda engine, the team has so far scored one point in the first 11 races.
Light is very much shining brightly at the end of the tunnel, with the AMR26’s overhaul of upgrades in the Hungarian Grand Prix helping the team to 13th and 14th places respectively, with Fernando Alonso putting the car in Q2 in qualifying for the first time this season.
It will be followed by an upgraded power unit from Honda, which will debut at next month’s Dutch Grand Prix and has already been tested at the Hungaroring this week.
For Crawford, being part of the Aston Martin setup has been a chance for him to be exposed to F1, despite not being a full-time race driver – something he expressed gratitude to the team for.
“Yeah, I feel like it’s just gaining all that experience,” he told Motorsport Week in an exclusive interview. “[It’s] The only way to properly get more experience. Sometimes all you need in Formula 1 is just more experience. And I feel like just by being around all the time, in the driver’s car as much as possible, I feel like that’s kind of giving me that experience without actually racing all the races and stuff.
“And the culture’s been great. You know, they’ve been really supportive of me. They want me to do well. They obviously know I’m good in the simulator and then they want me, of course, to then get more car time as possible, which has been great. I’ve had many opportunities in the last couple years in the F1 car.”
Aston Martin ‘very well prepared’ for more competitive days
The AMR26 has naturally been a tricky car to drive for Alonso and Lance Stroll, which is an experience that has extended down to Crawford on a count of his FP1 appearances this year, and his tireless work in the sim.
Asked if he feels that working with a problematic machine has made him a better driver, Crawford believes it has, and relayed the message of utter determination from Aston Martin that it is “ready” for the return of the good times, crediting the whole team’s hard work to hoist itself out of its current troubles.
“Yeah, for sure,” he said. “I think it’s, even for all three of us here that have driven the car, it’s very, you know, of course it’s not the situation we want, but we still have to work super hard.
“You know, we still want to make sure, even though we go into the last few races knowing that we’re not going to be able to fight for really anything, we still need to put in the same work ethic. We still need to prepare like we normally would so that when the time comes, we’re prepared.
“And when we have a car that can fight for points and fight for podiums, we’re very well prepared and everyone in the team is ready for it. And, of course, it makes you a better driver. You try and find time wherever you can.
“You’re trying so hard to find every bit you can and every single tenth of lap time. Eventually, when we’re hopefully fighting in the midfield, you know, then again, you know, we’re trying to fight for every single tenth because it could change every weekend.”
There is no doubt that Aston has proved its hard work by being leaps and bounds ahead of its position in Australia, and whilst there is still a long road ahead, the signs are ominously good for a return back to competitiveness.
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