Crawford Lines Up Second 2026 FP1 Outing as Aston Martin Names Him for Austrian GP Practice
Aston Martin has confirmed that third driver Jak Crawford will drive Lance Stroll's AMR26 in Free Practice One at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix. It is Crawford's fourth FP1 appearance for the team overall and his second of the current season, following a Pirelli tyre test in Barcelona earlier this week. The session fulfils the second of Aston Martin's four mandatory rookie practice slots for 2026.
Crawford confirmed for FP1 at the Red Bull Ring
Aston Martin has officially confirmed that third driver Jak Crawford will take the wheel of Lance Stroll's AMR26 in Free Practice One at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix. [1] The session marks Crawford's fourth FP1 appearance for the Silverstone-based team and his second of the current season, after he also participated in FP1 at the Japanese Grand Prix in March. [2]
Where this fits in Aston Martin's mandatory programme
Under current FIA regulations, each team must field a rookie driver, defined as one who has started no more than two grands prix, in four separate FP1 sessions across the season, with two outings required per car. [3] The Austria outing fulfils the second of Aston Martin's four mandated slots for 2026, meaning both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll each have one further mandatory rookie session to come later in the year. [4]
Crawford arrived in Styria with fresh mileage in the AMR26, having completed a Pirelli tyre test with the team in Barcelona earlier this week. [1] The Red Bull Ring is familiar territory for the 21-year-old American; he has raced there in both FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 and claimed victories in both categories at the circuit. [2] The session also carries a personal milestone: it comes almost two years after Crawford first drove an Aston Martin F1 car, when he tested the AMR22 at the Red Bull Ring in June 2024. [2]
Crawford's development path with the team
Crawford was appointed Aston Martin's third driver ahead of the 2026 season after finishing second in the 2025 FIA Formula 2 championship. [3] Since joining the team's driver development programme, he has accumulated more than 3,800 kilometres in Formula 1 machinery. [2] His first FP1 outing of this season, at Suzuka, saw him stand in for Alonso, who arrived in Japan later than scheduled following a personal family commitment. [4]
:::analysis Austria represents a meaningful step beyond a token Friday run. Crawford has a genuine baseline at the Red Bull Ring from junior series racing and prior testing, which should allow the team to extract more representative feedback than at a circuit he is learning for the first time. With Aston Martin navigating a demanding 2026 development cycle, a third driver who can validate simulator data against real track behaviour has tangible value beyond regulatory compliance. :::
Related reading
- [1]Crawford to get another FP1 outing with Aston Martin in Austria (formula1). Accessed 2026-06-20.
- [2]Jak Crawford to drive in FP1 at Austrian Grand Prix (astonmartinf1). Accessed 2026-06-20.
- [3]Lance Stroll replaced as Aston Martin makes Austrian GP FP1 announcement (planetf1). Accessed 2026-06-20.
- [4]Aston Martin announce driver change for Austrian GP first practice (racingnews365). Accessed 2026-06-20.
- [5]Aston Martin names US driver Jak Crawford as 2026 F1 reserve (motorsport). Accessed 2026-06-20.