Jak Crawford to Drive Lance Stroll's AMR26 in Austrian GP FP1
Aston Martin has confirmed that third driver Jak Crawford will drive Lance Stroll's AMR26 in Free Practice 1 at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix. It is Crawford's second FP1 outing of the season and his fourth for the team overall, fulfilling Aston Martin's second of four mandatory rookie practice sessions. Crawford comes to Austria fresh from a Pirelli tyre test in Barcelona.
Crawford confirmed for FP1 at the Red Bull Ring
Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team has confirmed that third driver Jak Crawford will participate in Free Practice One at the Austrian Grand Prix, driving Lance Stroll's AMR26 at the Red Bull Ring. [1] The session marks Crawford's fourth FP1 appearance for the team and his second of the 2026 season, and represents the second of the team's four mandated rookie practice sessions this year. [1]
Crawford made his first FP1 appearance of the season in March at the Japanese Grand Prix, where he deputised for two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. [3] Crawford has never raced in an F1 grand prix, but has taken part in a few practice sessions over the past couple of seasons, stepping into the AMR25 for FP1 in Mexico and Abu Dhabi last year. [3]
A familiar venue with a relevant history
Fresh from completing a Pirelli tyre test with the team in Barcelona earlier this week, Crawford will return to a circuit he knows well through previous testing programmes and his FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 campaigns, where he claimed victories in both categories. [1] The outing also comes two years after Crawford's first experience in an Aston Martin Aramco Formula One car, when he tested the AMR22 at the Red Bull Ring in June 2024. [1]
F1 rules state that each regular race driver must hand their car over twice per season to a young driver who has not competed in more than two grands prix. [4] Both Alonso and Stroll will each be required to step out for one more FP1 session later in the season. [4]
Development programme context
Since his first test at the Red Bull Ring, Crawford has become an integral part of the team's driver development programme and has accumulated more than 3,800 kilometres in Formula One machinery. [1] Crawford raced in F2 in 2023, 2024 and 2025, winning six races and finishing as runner-up in the championship standings last year. [3]
:::analysis Austria gives Crawford a meaningful baseline from which to operate. He already knows the Red Bull Ring from junior categories and from his first Aston Martin test there in 2024, which means the session can focus on how the AMR26 behaves rather than on track familiarisation. For Aston Martin, the data gathered feeds both the rookie compliance requirement and their ongoing 2026 development effort. The combination of recent Pirelli tyre test mileage and simulator work means Crawford enters FP1 with more preparation behind him than a standard one-off Friday appearance would typically involve. :::
Related reading
- [1]Jak Crawford to drive in FP1 at Austrian Grand Prix (aston-martin-f1). Accessed 2026-06-21.
- [2]Crawford to get another FP1 outing with Aston Martin in Austria (formula1). Accessed 2026-06-21.
- [3]Lance Stroll replaced as Aston Martin makes Austrian GP FP1 announcement (planetf1). Accessed 2026-06-21.
- [4]Aston Martin announce driver change for Austrian GP first practice (racingnews365). Accessed 2026-06-21.