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Aston Martin's latest signing Felipe Drugovich will be making his first appearance for the team at the 2022 F1 Abu Dhabi GP. The F2 World Champion will take part in FP1 for the team as he revealed on Sky Sports.
The Brazilian driver will be the reserve driver for the team in for the 2023 F1 season, replacing incumbent Nico Hulkenberg. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Drugovich said:
“I’m going to be in Abu Dhabi. [FP1 and the end-of-season test] are the ones I’m going to be doing this year. I’m going to be the reserve driver next year for Aston. Obviously this year it is still Nico but I’m going to be the reserve for next year. I’m going to be doing some FP1s, some testing programme with the ’21 car so I’m very excited for this. I think it’s something that’s really going to prepare me for maybe getting a seat in the future.”
The latest Aston Martin signing revealed that he wants to hit the ground running just like he's seen many of his contemporaries do. He said:
“I think I deserve it and I’m really looking forward to being as prepared as I can to make that count. I’ve seen these guys [other reserve drivers], they’ve been testing a lot and preparing themselves so for sure they are going to be on it from the first race next year. I’ll try to be on the same page.”
Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel looking forward to Suzuka
Aston Martin driver and multi-time winner of the F1 Japanese GP Sebastian Vettel admitted he was looking forward to racing at Suzuka. The German is in the last few races of his career and while his performances have not seen a drop, he will be retiring from the sport at the end of the season.
In a media preview shared by the team, the Aston Martin driver revealed his excitement about coming back to Japan. He said:
“Suzuka is a fantastic circuit - my favourite on the whole calendar, in fact. I have so many special memories of this place - the track is just a special place, and the fans are absolutely amazing as well. Overall, the atmosphere just feels magical. This place is a huge challenge, and it is so satisfying when the perfect lap comes together. It is tough to predict exactly how we will perform this weekend, but we delivered some good points at Spa which is also a lower-downforce circuit.”
Earlier in Singapore, Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll scored points for Aston Martin. The two drivers will be hoping to continue their strong momentum at Suzuka as well and help the team climb in the championship standings.
