‘Time to go’: Drugovich signs off from Aston Martin, pivots to full‑time Formula E shot with Andretti
Felipe Drugovich has drawn a line under three long, stop‑start years in green. The outgoing Aston Martin reserve confirmed the Las Vegas Grand Prix was his last weekend with the team, signing off with a curt, telling line on social media: “Yup, time to go.”
It’s a logical exit. Drugovich, who joined Aston Martin two days after clinching the 2022 Formula 2 crown, never found his opening in a line‑up anchored by Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. He notched seven FP1 outings, plenty of simulator grind and a handful of private tests, but no grand prix start. For a driver who’s been idling in the fast lane, a reset was overdue.
The next chapter lands quickly. Drugovich will step back into the weekly fight as a full‑time driver with Andretti in Formula E, with Season 12 set to open on home soil in São Paulo on December 6. It’s a neat fit: a top‑tier single‑seater seat, a global schedule, and a championship where rookies can still rattle the establishment if they’re sharp.
His farewell note carried a little edge. Alongside “many cool moments,” Drugovich admitted there were “some not so cool moments,” adding he’ll “take the positives… and leave the bad behind.” That’s the sound of a driver who’s learned the reserve-driver trade the hard way — lots of waiting, no guarantees, and the occasional reminder that patience doesn’t always pay in F1.
Aston Martin, for its part, has already moved the chess pieces. American F2 standout Jak Crawford has been appointed third driver for the 2026 campaign, a role that will have him embedded at every race next season as the primary reserve. Crawford made his FP1 debut in Mexico and is due another run in Abu Dhabi, a sensible ramp‑up for a young driver who’s clearly in the team’s future‑facing plans.
All of this is playing out against a shifting backdrop at Silverstone. Multiple paddock sources expect team principal Andy Cowell to vacate the role imminently, potentially transitioning elsewhere within the Aston Martin organisation. The word is that strategic differences — including with Adrian Newey — have nudged the leadership to re‑cut the deck. Naturally, the rumour mill has already spun up the usual heavyweights: former McLaren boss Andreas Seidl, current Audi F1 chief Mattia Binotto and ex‑Red Bull principal Christian Horner have all been linked from afar. Whether any of those names truly align with Aston Martin’s structure and timeline is the intrigue to watch next.
For Drugovich, the story is simpler. He arrived with momentum, stayed diligent, and kept himself sharp when opportunity never quite knocked. That’s not a slight on his ability; it’s the arithmetic of modern F1. Seats are scarce, incumbent stars are sticky, and risk tolerance for rookies is lower when the midfield is measured in tenths.
Still, the Brazilian leaves with something that matters: credibility inside an F1 organisation. He’s done the long sim nights, the correlation work, the Friday sweats on green tracks. And he’s kept his name circulating in the paddock — which tends to matter when seats shuffle, injuries bite or a manufacturer wants experience without baggage.
As for Aston Martin, 2025 remains anchored by Alonso and Stroll per the official entry list, and the team’s horizon is clearly pointed at 2026, when new power unit and chassis regulations reset the pecking order. Crawford’s promotion fits that arc, and the potential leadership change suggests an outfit still reshaping itself beneath Lawrence Stroll’s big‑budget ambition.
So yes, it’s time to go. Time for Drugovich to swap the garage headset for a race suit every weekend; time for Aston Martin to cycle the next prospect through the system and settle its top‑table direction. Different roads, both moving quickly. And if Formula E gives Drugovich the rhythm and results he’s been missing, don’t be shocked if the F1 paddock starts looking his way again. That door rarely stays shut forever.
