Does this driver miss out on a set in F1 again? Alonso hopes for a change!

14:02, 20 Aug

byLudo van Denderen

With Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac has filled one of the two seats for 2026, and there is a good chance that Sergio Perez will become the second driver at the 11th team in Formula 1. If that indeed becomes the American's duo, a much-mentioned candidate misses out on a seat. Again.

For years, Felipe Drugovich has been the reserve driver for Aston Martin, where he is a highly valued member of the team. The Brits would field the Brazilian without hesitation if Fernando Alonso or Lance Stroll is not available. The bad luck for Drugovich: every time it seems that one of the regular drivers is absent, they are fit enough.

Drugovich looks beyond Aston Martin

To become a Grand Prix driver anyway, Drugovich is therefore looking elsewhere. Talks were held with Cadillac, but his chances there seem to be getting slimmer by the day. Fernando Alonso, who therefore knows Drugovich well, would find it regrettable if the Brazilian is not on the F1 grid again.

'Felipe Drugovich deserves a chance in Formula 1'

"It would be great to see him in Formula 1," the Spaniard responds among others to GPblog. "He has an incredible talent. Formula 2 was a demonstration (where Drugovich became champion overwhelmingly, ed)."

"We can see it here every day when we work with him. The simulator work, some of the free practices that he has, and he has been always delivering the performance that the team was asking, even with very limited kilometres. So, yeah, it will be interesting to see him in a full-time drive and yeah, I hope it happens," says Alonso.