Jack Crawford sees progress in the work on the 2026 chassis.

      Jack Crawford races for DAMS in Formula 2 and is currently in 2nd place in the driver's standings after eight rounds of the season. He has three victories, including winning the main race of the Silverstone weekend – to the delight of Aston Martin F1, as Jack is part of the British team's youth program.

      His responsibilities also include working on the simulator, where he tests the virtual model of the 2026 car, and the 20-year-old American shared his impressions of this in an interview with Aston Martin's press service.

      Jack Crawford: "The team continues to support me in my professional development, helping to fulfill my dream of securing a race seat in Formula 1.

      As part of this program, I have piloted the AMR23 at Zandvoort and Monza, and although driving a Formula 1 car is still new to me, I am becoming more confident in handling it. I already have experience working with all the cars of Aston Martin of this generation, except the AMR25, and it was interesting to pilot the same car on two circuits that require very different setups.

      Off the track, I spend a lot of time on the simulator, helping with the development of the AMR25 upgrades, but I am also involved in the 2026 chassis project. It's very rewarding to see the progress we are making – this can be judged by the data obtained during wind tunnel tests and in collaboration with Honda engineers.

      Getting to know the 2026 car models on the simulator was awesome. As expected, they differ somewhat from the current generation cars, partly because they feature active aerodynamics, which takes some getting used to. Virtual models don't fully reproduce the sensations behind the wheel of a real car, which our drivers will experience when they start the Australian Grand Prix, but they still offer a pretty good idea.

      Studying the behavior of the future car on the simulator, I see significant improvements – both in the chassis and the power unit, especially since I have never been involved in engine development before. As a driver, I have never witnessed such major changes in Formula 1. I can see what few others do, and I contribute to this fascinating project, so I consider my work a real privilege.

      Regarding my tasks in Formula 2, I try not to focus on long-term predictions; my job is to maintain the stability we have already achieved. We manage to avoid mistakes, and while there are areas where we could improve, there are no major changes planned. It's important not to overdo it, as we are performing consistently at a high level, so we just aim to optimize our work and improve a little more.

      Of course, I am already competing at a fairly high level in F2, and my goal is to win the title to earn a full-fledged place in Formula 1. However, I don’t dwell too much on that, since there is still almost half the season ahead.

      It's clear that I aim for Formula 1, like any driver, and that is the ultimate goal, but I don’t feel any additional pressure, because the task of reaching the world championship has been set before me from the start of my career. So for now, it’s important to regularly achieve results like at Silverstone, and then see how everything develops.

      Upcoming is the Belgian weekend, and Spa is among my five favorite circuits. The only reason it’s not my favorite is that it rains there too often! I’ve rarely raced there in dry conditions, and when the track is flooded with water, the sensation of speed is not the same. Still, racing there is great; it’s a true classic racing circuit. However, even if it rains, the Silverstone round showed that under those conditions, we can deliver excellent pace and remain competitive."