Aston Martin reserve driver Jak Crawford has revealed that it is “pretty cool” to enjoy a working relationship with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll and explained the team’s wish to keep him ‘race-ready’.
The American has been part of the Silverstone-based squad‘s roster since 2024, and acts currently as its reserve driver, having taken part in three FP1 sessions so far this year.
For Crawford, a lot of the day-to-day work involves putting in the shifts in its simulator, playing an integral part on race weekends, and being a key player in helping the team work on improving from its nightmarish start to the season.
For Alonso and Stroll, it has been equally as tough, with both languishing at the back for much of the season so far, with an unlikely point in Monaco the only respite.
But its 16-part upgrades suite introduced in Hungary was the first major tonic the team enjoyed, with Stroll and Alonso making it to the flag 13th and 14th respectively, with the Spaniard reaching Q2 for the first time this season.
It’s all in a day’s work for Crawford, but he explained that it’s an added bonus to work with two experienced drivers, particularly with the anecdotal benefit two-time World Champion Alonso brings.
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool that they have so much experience and so many stories,” he told Motorsport Week in an exclusive interview. “And it always seems no matter when it was, motorsport’s always the same, whether it’s now or it was 20 years ago when Fernando was, you know, winning in Formula 1.
“I feel like, based on what he said, it hasn’t changed much. The principles are still the same, which is cool, I think.
“But, yeah, we just a lot of times talking about… I obviously do a lot of driving in the simulator, so I’m able to go to them before every race and explain everything that’s been going on in the simulator and how it kind of feels compared to the track and almost what they can expect a bit for the races and stuff.”
Aston Martin ‘would love’ Crawford to be racing
The role of a reserve driver is a hard job. Perhaps a few more unenviable hours behind a virtual wheel, and constantly being tantalisingly close to a race seat without actually having one.
But for Crawford, there is, through Aston’s instance, a freedom to seek a new opportunity whilst dovetailing the role, and the 21-year-old explained the logic behind that generosity from the team.
“You know, they’ve told me if I’m in the same role for next year, they would love for me to be racing,” he said. “They want me as well to be ready to race, and in any case, unless I need to take a full-time seat, or jump in at any case during the season, they want me to be, of course, prepared.
“So, you know, that’s also from them to make sure I’m ready. That they want me racing.”
Crawford will retain the role when F1 returns in the Netherlands for the final Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort next month, when Aston is set to arrive with an additional upgrade in the form of Honda’s B-spec power unit.
READ MORE – Aston Martin driver sends defiant ‘we’re ready’ message for eventual F1 resurgence
Discussion about this post