Felipe Drugovich does not rule out a return to the Formula 1 paddock in 2026. The Brazilian is currently focused on his new adventure in Formula E but is keeping the door to the pinnacle of motorsport slightly ajar.
“On the Formula 1 side there's nothing at the moment”- Felipe Drugovich
Drugovich won the Formula 2 championship in 2022, but was unable to move up to Formula 1, due to a stagnant driver market. He ended up joining the Aston Martin Formula 1 team as reserve driver - a role he shared with Stoffel Vandoorne. Drugovich has now made the switch to Formula E, where he will race for Andretti alongside Jake Dennis during the final year with the Gen 3.5 car.
GPblog previously reported that Drugovich will no longer be part of Aston Martin’s driver pool from 2026 onwards. The British team has since confirmed that Jak Crawford will take on the role of third driver for the entire 2026 season. His stint at Aston Martin might be over, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we won't see the Brazilian in the F1 paddock next year.
“On the Formula 1 side - there's nothing at the moment,” Drugovich told GPblog among others during the Formula E test days in Valencia. “I'm really focused on this - I don’t know how it's going to pen out next year—if I’ll be around that paddock or not. I have to wait until that championship is also finished and then see whether it makes sense for me or not. Right now, I'm fully focussed on this [Formula E, ed.]. And yes, I’m just trying to enjoy it.”
Move to Formula E with Andretti
“I think it's been a long time coming that I would join the championship,” he opened up about his new adventure in Formula E. “Since 2023, I’ve been driving in the rookie tests and had contact with some teams. I also spoke with Andretti back then, but I didn’t feel it was the right time to actually pull the trigger and make a move. But I think it all kind of came together at the right time.”
Since 2023, Drugovich has made several appearances in the electric championship. He participated in the rookie tests and made his race debut during the double header in Berlin in July, when he replaced Nyck de Vries, who was competing in the World Endurance Championship that weekend. “I already had some talks with Roger [Griffiths], and I got the opportunity to drive in Berlin. I did, and I actually thought: okay, this is pretty cool. I want to do that.”
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After a long stint as reserve driver, the Brazilian is mainly looking forward to finally get back into a full-time race seat. “Also because I basically went two - almost three - years without racing in a full-time championship - which is not nice from my point of view. I just really miss that feeling, and I think I'm getting that feeling back; I’m just happy to be here.”
Drugovich opened up to Andretti about F1 frustrations
“We’re very happy to welcome him to Formula E,” Griffiths said in Valencia to GPblog. “I think he’s a driver that has been a little overlooked over the past two or three years. Somewhat parked in a reserve role in Formula 1, whilst he had some experience in sports car racing.”
The Andretti team principal explained that Drugovich hasn’t been able to follow a consistent racing program for a long time as he wasn't racing full-time. His new move, however, has given him renewed energy. “He was sort of talking about how when he was doing the Formula 1 simulator sessions, it maybe wasn’t that much fun, because he was preparing a car for someone else. Whereas now he's coming on to our simulator, and he's realising that all the time he puts in, benefits him and his teammate, Jake [Dennis], of course.”
The team boss stated that the 25-year-old is extremely excited to get his first race as a full-fledged Formula E driver started. He joked that the team would have preferred it if the season hadn't kicked off on Drugovich' home soil. “I think he's got a lot of learning to do compared to some other drivers, particularly around the nuances of the tire." Still, Griffiths is fully convinced that Drugovich will be ready for the race in São Paulo in December.
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