F1 News: Drugovich to drive in FP1 at Mexico City Grand Prix
Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team today announced that Felipe Drugovich will participate in Free Practice One at the Mexico City Grand Prix later this month. Felipe, the team’s Test & Reserve Driver, will take to the track during the 60-minute session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, before Fernando Alonso returns to the car for FP2.
The session will mark Felipe’s first outing in the AMR24, a car he has helped to develop through his extensive simulator work at the team’s Technology Campus. By participating in the practice session, the Brazilian driver will partially fulfil the team’s requirement to run a rookie in two FP1s, with a second session planned for later in the year.
Felipe Drugovich, Test & Reserve Driver, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team, said: “I’m really excited to drive the AMR24 for the first time — I’ve been looking forward to it for a while! I’ve spent a lot of the year working on the development of this car in the team’s simulator, so it will be valuable for me to feel the correlation between the sim and the real thing. Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is a track I haven’t driven before. It’s a challenging circuit with a mix of long straights and technical corners, so I’ll be spending time on the simulator ahead of the event so that I’m ready to go come FP1.
“I want to thank Aston Martin Aramco for trusting me with this opportunity, as well Banco Master for their continued support.”
Mike Krack, Team Principal, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team, said: “We’re excited to give Felipe this first opportunity to drive the AMR24 during Free Practice One in Mexico City. Felipe is regularly in Silverstone on our simulator, contributing towards the development of this car with his detailed and thoughtful feedback, so it will be a rewarding experience for him to get out on track in Mexico. During the session, Felipe will be working his way through the team’s run plan, collecting vital data to support our decision-making throughout the rest of the weekend and aiding with the set-up of the car.”