Joseph Loke tests the AMR22

Joseph Lowke completed his first Formula 1 tests in a 2022 Aston Martin, an opportunity the 19-year-old Briton was given after being named best young driver by the British Racing Drivers’ Club, BRDC, last season.

Joseph drove 39 laps at Silverstone in the AMR22 and this was his first experience in a Formula 1 car. The weather was normal so he drove only on slicks and covered over 225 km.

Last year, Lowke finished 3rd in the national GB3 series (the former British BRDC F3 Championship), and in 2024 he will compete in Formula 3 for the Rodin Motorsport team.

Jozef Loke: “Incredible experience! I knew the car would be faster than anything I had ever driven before, but the level of grip and speed in the fast corners was absolutely astonishing – a whole level higher than I could have imagined.

It was an amazing experience and very different from driving an F3 car. When I walked into the garage and saw how many people had gathered to work with me and my car, when I saw my name on Halo, I finally believed that this was all happening in reality, and I got behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car.

I’ve never driven a car that responded so accurately to every movement of the steering wheel, every push of the accelerator. The AMR22 is the most manageable car I’ve ever driven. Once your brain adapts to these speeds, you can make small adjustments, and it helps improve your lap times…

I will definitely use this experience to improve my driving performance in the remaining Formula 3 races of the season.”

Robert SattlerAston Martin Youth Program Director: “Joseph has done an excellent job driving a Formula 1 car. For him it was a big step up from the usual F3 technology, but he approached it very professionally and had that attitude too, which had a positive effect on the team impression.

He adapted well and asked a lot of the right questions. Listening to the engineers’ comments after each race is one thing, but applying this information immediately so that it helps with the work on the track is already more difficult, but Joseph was at his best in this respect, which speaks for the potential of the young driver.”