Drugovich Keen to add Racing Programme Alongside Aston Martin Reserve Driver Role

Felipe Drugovich is keen to race something in 2023 to complement his role as reserve and test driver for the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team.

The Brazilian, who claimed the FIA Formula 2 title in 2022, was the first driver to be brought into the Aston Martin young driver programme earlier this year, and he was given his first taste of Formula 1 machinery by the team, as well as a free practice outing in Abu Dhabi.

Alongside FIA Formula E champion Stoffel Vandoorne, Drugovich will act as part of the reserve driver rota in 2023, but he is keen to not lose his competitive edge by adding a racing programme alongside his Aston Martin duties, something the team are also happy for him to do.

“I will be doing the reserve role for Aston Martin, I’m going to be following the team and learning as much as I can, I’ll do a few FP1s as well, that’s something very nice to look forward [to],” Drugovich is quoted as saying by F1i.com during the FIA Gala in Bologna.

“The team is keen to let me do something else, which I don’t know yet, but we’re trying to see if there is an opportunity to just keep racing, but the priority is also going to be Formula 1.”

One series Drugovich will not be competing in is Formula 2, with the rules of the championship preventing champions from returning to the series.  However, although nothing has been set in stone, he hopes to be racing something above where he came from in 2022.

“We have no real direction until now – I’m just hoping I can race something professionally, and something that doesn’t really clash with Formula 1,” Drugovich added.

“It has to be a programme that doesn’t take too much from my year.  Anything above Formula 2 I’ll look at – Hypercar, Super Formula, I don’t know what yet.”