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Aston Martin have announced that Felipe Drugovich will continue to be their Reserve and Test driver for the 2024 F1 season.
Drugovich became part of Aston Martin’s set-up in September 2022 after he claimed the F2 title and has since gone on to participate in pre-season testing, plus two FP1 sessions – at 2022 Abu Dhabi and 2023 Italian Grands Prix as he replaced Lance Stroll on those three occasions.
The Brazilian will get his second FP1 outing of the season in Abu Dhabi as he replaces Fernando Alonso for the opening practice session that weekend.
Aston Martin also confirmed that Drugovich will once again be their Reserve and Test Driver for the 2024 F1 season.
Speaking about his decision to stay with Aston Martin in a back-up role, Drugovich said that he is “really proud” to continue in the role, whilst he proceeded to reflect on his first full season with the team whilst preparing for his FP1 session in Abu Dhabi.
“This year, I’ve learnt a huge amount – not just at the racetrack, but working with the engineers in the simulator and from the development programme that was designed for me.
I’m proud of the contribution I’ve been able to make, and pleased that I’ve been able to help progress the development of AMR23.
“My focus now shifts towards preparing for the upcoming FP1 session at Abu Dhabi – I’m already looking forward to driving the AMR23 again – and to the work I’ll be doing with the engineers over the winter to prepare for 2024.”
Team Principal, Mike Krack added that the constructor are “incredibly pleased” to retain Drugovich and praised his attitude, as he commented:
“He’s a familiar face within the team; he understands the particular demands of the role, has a tremendous work ethic, and has shown his speed and experience after stepping in superbly for an injured Lance Stroll during pre-season testing in Bahrain.
“Every time he gets behind the wheel, we clearly see the strength of his contribution: his pace, feedback and commitment are all extremely valuable to our engineers.
“We are already looking forward to him rounding out his season in style with another opportunity to drive the AMR23 during FP1 of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. We look forward to another productive season together next year.”
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