Jak Crawford to drive Stroll's Aston Martin in Austrian GP first practice
Jak Crawford will drive Lance Stroll's Aston Martin AMR26 in first practice for the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. It is his fourth FP1 appearance for the team and his second of the season after Japan, fulfilling the FIA rule that each team give rookies four FP1 runs per year.
Aston Martin will hand Jak Crawford the cockpit of Lance Stroll's AMR26 for the opening hour of practice at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix, the team's third driver taking over the car for FP1 at the Red Bull Ring.[1]
It is Crawford's fourth FP1 appearance for Aston Martin and his second of the 2026 season, following an outing in Japan earlier in the year.[1] The run counts towards the FIA requirement that every team field an eligible young driver in four first-practice sessions across the season, completing the second of Aston Martin's four for 2026.[1] Crawford deputises for Stroll in first practice only, with the session change announced for FP1 rather than the rest of the weekend.[2]
"It's great to have another opportunity to drive the AMR26 during a race weekend," Crawford said.[1] Chief Trackside Officer Mike Krack added: "Jak continues to play an important role as Third Driver and this FP1 session is another valuable step."[1]
The American moved into the Aston Martin third-driver role for 2026 after finishing runner-up in the 2025 FIA Formula 2 championship with DAMS.[1]
:::analysis Friday running is the closest thing to a grand prix audition for a reserve waiting on a race seat, and the Red Bull Ring is a sensible place to spend one. The lap is short and the corner count low, so an hour handed to a rookie costs the race driver less lost preparation than it would at a longer, more demanding circuit.
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Related reading
- His driver profile: Jak Crawford
- Austrian Grand Prix track guide
- [1]Crawford to get another FP1 outing with Aston Martin in Austria (formula1). Accessed 2026-06-19.
- [2]Aston Martin announce driver change for Austrian GP first practice (racingnews365). Accessed 2026-06-19.