Felipe Drugovich: I have become a better prepared racer

Felipe Drugovich, last year’s Formula 2 champion, served as Aston Martin’s test driver and reserve driver this season and apparently did a good job with them. The team extended his contract until at least 2024 and although the 23-year-old Brazilian dreams of real racing, he believes that the collaboration with the Formula 1 team suits him.

Over the winter he worked on pre-season testing in Bahrain, replacing the injured Lance Stroll, over the summer he drove the AMR21, the 2021 car, in private tests at Silverstone, Spielberg and the Hungagroring, and in September he trained him behind the wheel. of the AMR23 in Monza.

This weekend he will of course be in the paddock of Interlagos with the Aston Martin F1 and he will feel the increased attention from the Brazilian fans.

“Last year at the Brazilian Grand Prix there were a lot of people who wanted to meet me, and it was a very special time,” Felipe said in an interview with the championship’s official website. “It was very nice to see so much warm support.” This year even more people know me, and that’s even better!

As a reserve driver, I try to help the team by working on the simulator and testing different settings – this contributes to the process of fine-tuning the car. At the same time I try to learn everything from the team. During race weekends the most important thing for me is to be part of the team, to keep learning and to be ready to replace one of the drivers if necessary.

All this certainly helps to improve my professional level. Thanks to the experience I gained this year, I have become a better prepared rider and I have tried to work on those aspects that are simply not there in the youth series. Of course I’m a racer and I want to get back on the track, but I still feel like I’m making real progress.”