Formula 2: American Jak Crawford still on high after Spain win
After taking his first F2 feature race victory last weekend in Spain for DAMS, Aston Martin Aramco Driver Squad member Jak Crawford looks back on his win and ahead to this weekend’s action at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
What are your emotions after sealing a first F2 feature race win?
“I’m still very happy and I’m very excited that we have two more race weekends in a row coming up because it’s a good time of the year to have momentum. It was almost the perfect race in Barcelona and we executed everything very well as a team. I can’t wait to get back into the car.”
The result lifted you to fourth place in the F2 standings. How do you view the championship fight currently?
“The championship picture can change very quickly in F2. I was outside the top ten not so long ago and thinking I’ve just got to try and salvage a top five finish from this year.
“But one high-scoring weekend can put you back in contention because there’s still a long way to go in the season and it’s so close.
“There are eight more rounds to come and anything can happen. I’m not putting any pressure on myself and I’m just trying to do the best I can every weekend,” said Crawford.
We’re in the thick of a triple header in both F1 and F2, how do you find it as a driver?
“Of course, it’s a challenge for everyone but it’s good to be driving so regularly. Any racing driver just loves to be racing every weekend. There’s a lot of travel but that’s all part of the job. I arrive in Austria early on Wednesday so I’ll be able to relax all afternoon, and then I’ll be ready to get into another race weekend.”
You’re returning to the circuit where you recently completed your maiden F1 test with our team in the AMR22 and where you’ve had success in junior formulae, does going back to Austria feel extra special?
“I’m always excited to go to Austria. I’ve won there in several different categories and I don’t want to jinx myself, but I have a good record there. It’s always been really kind to me as a circuit. I drove there a lot in F4 so I know the track very well; it comes naturally to drive there now.
“I’ve driven every single kind of car there from F4 to F1 which is very cool and I love it. Doing the F1 test recently should help me have a bit of an advantage going into Free Practice in terms of getting up to speed quickly and hopefully I can turn some of the things I learned throughout the day driving the AMR22 into performance this weekend.”
Is there a particular part of the track you enjoy driving most of all?
“The whole of the last sector is great. You have the last corner where you pull high g-force and have a big compression through a dip, and the corners leading to that are high-speed and fun to drive. It’s the perfect end to the lap.”
We’ve seen track limits be a hot topic in Austria before, how do you contend with that as a driver?
“You need a lot of discipline. You train on the simulator beforehand and use Free Practice to get a good feel for where the limit is. Then you head into Qualifying where there’s zero tolerance and you have to nail it.
“It’s about practice and being confident in the car, and then being consistent once you’ve found the limit. If you feel confident you know you can place the car precisely without worrying about incurring a penalty.”
It’s a Sprint weekend in F1, but the two-race format is something you have every weekend in F2. How do you approach it?
“Sprint weekends are the norm for us in F2 and it teaches you to be really on it straight away from Free Practice.
“Preparation is key to the Sprint weekends and that’s what Lance, Fernando, and the team will be working on as soon as they arrive. Getting the drivers as much information as possible as quickly as possible so that they don’t have to make a huge jump in performance between Free Practice and Qualifying is crucial.”
Austria is one of the most scenic countries we visit, what do you enjoy about heading there?
“Austria is one of my favorite places. I’ve spent a lot of time in Vienna and Salzburg and also time in the country in the winter as well. Schnitzel is one of my favorite foods and I love spending time in the mountains because it’s such a peaceful environment. I’m really looking forward to being there and racing again this weekend,” concluded Crawford.