Felipe Drugovich shall be making a everlasting return to single-seaters, as he’s set to affix Andretti for the 2025/26 Formulation E marketing campaign.
It’s a big transfer for the younger Brazilian, who has usually discovered himself sitting on the sidelines in recent times regardless of his spectacular junior racing document.
Though he was the primary expertise signed to the Aston Martin growth programme, lower than 48 hours after he secured the 2022 Formulation 2 title, Drugovich hasn’t been capable of sink his enamel right into a full-time single-seater drive since.
As one among Aston Martin’s check and reserve drivers, a task he at present shares with Stoffel Vandoorne, Drugovich has been capable of achieve first-hand expertise and invaluable entry to the Formulation 1 staff throughout the final three years.
He’s pushed the automotive on race weekends too, lately masking for an injured Fernando Alonso throughout FP1 for the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix, along with a number of in-season Pirelli tyre checks together with one in Monza earlier this month.
The 25-year-old has dabbled in endurance racing too, competing within the Le Mans 24 Hours with Cadillac Whelen during the last two years in addition to 5 rounds of the European Le Mans Collection in 2024. He even accomplished two Formulation E rounds with Mahindra Racing within the 2024/25 season.
Felipe Drugovich, Aston Martin F1 Crew
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / LAT Pictures through Getty Pictures
Nevertheless, it’s not been sufficient. When Drugovich was topped F2 champion, he was labelled as one among motorsport’s brightest new stars however with Aston Martin committing to its driver pairing of Alonso and Lance Stroll, any likelihood of a promotion to the head proved stagnant.
“Because the starting of the yr, I used to be hungry to get again to racing and never simply be ready on the sidelines,” mentioned Drugovich.
“It was one thing that I actually wished to do and get again behind the wheel. I’ve missed it because the day after I completed my final race in F2 however I wanted it even for my psychological well being. So get it accomplished, and for a staff of this measurement and this title, is such a cool factor to do. I am actually pleased to have the ability to race not only for me, however with a staff like Andretti.
“A lot of the races that I’ve accomplished have been endurance races and also you’re sharing loads of stuff. Not that I do not like that, however I used to be lacking the sensation of getting my very own little staff and my very own automotive, my very own engineer and my very own mechanics. It is what I used to be used to because the starting of my profession, and I used to be actually lacking that feeling, however I used to be nonetheless not fully certain about if I would really like the problem or not.”
However he definitely left an admirable impression after his Formulation E cameos, having beforehand been speedy in rookie classes, and scored factors in his second race after a spectacular climb up the grid from nineteenth to seventh across the Tempelhof airport venue.
Understandably, provides for a full-time seat adopted, however for Drugovich a earlier dialog with Andretti had affect over his determination.
“I first bought approached again in 2023 by the staff once they have been on the prime with Jake Dennis [who had just won the drivers’ title], so I’ve had this actually good image in regards to the staff since then,” he mentioned. “It was cool to be approached once more, and I believe that is the principle motive I selected them as a result of I keep in mind this primary method and again once they have been on the prime.
Felipe Drugovich, Mahindra Racing
Photograph by: Andrew Ferraro / LAT Pictures through Getty Pictures
“They’re all so quick and the staff could be very robust in many of the races. Now that I’ve bought to know many of the staff already, it is one thing that has actually confirmed in my thoughts how succesful the staff is. Hopefully, ahead of later, we shall be preventing for wins and championships.”
Formulation E will embark on a record-breaking calendar over the 2025/26 season, with 18 races beginning with a house race for Drugovich in Sao Paulo on 6 December.
“It is so cool to race in entrance of my dwelling crowd,” he added, “because it’s one thing that I have been trying to do without end and particularly in a collection of this measurement and being a world championship. I’ve seen clips from final yr’s race and the grandstands have been packed, so hopefully this yr there will be much more!”
There are some clashes between Formulation E and Formulation 1 although, together with the season opener which runs parallel to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. There’s additionally a battle of schedules throughout the Berlin, Shanghai and Tokyo E-Prix rounds, that are the identical weekend because the Miami, British and Hungarian grands prix in 2026.
When requested how or if this new Formulation E seat will influence his check and reserve position with Aston Martin, Drugovich remained tight-lipped: “I don’t know but to be honest. The primary focus was to get this accomplished with Andretti. I might want to see what’s going to be helpful or not for me.”
Because the Formulation E driver market continues to be confirmed, it may effectively be that Stoffel Vandoorne finds himself out of a seat within the all-electric championship anyway as Citroen – which replaces Stellantis sister-brand Maserati – confirmed each Nick Cassidy and Jean-Eric Vergne as its drivers final week.
Vandoorne at present shares check and reserve duties with Drugovich at Aston Martin, so it appears unlikely that the 2 of them shall be competing within the collection over the identical weekends. Aston Martin’s younger driver Jak Crawford, who was additionally the reserve and growth driver for Andretti in Formulation E final season, additionally appears to be heading to Cadillac’s F1 staff as a possible reserve driver after the signing of Colton Herta as check driver earlier this month.
