Yuki Tsunoda lifeline shuts as Aston Martin makes key F1 2026 announcement
Aston Martin will enter a technical partnership with Yuki Tsunoda's long-term backer Honda from F1 2026
Aston Martin has confirmed that junior star Jak Crawford will act as the team’s third driver for the F1 2026 season.
It comes after Yuki Tsunoda, the current Red Bull Racing driver, had been linked with a role with Aston Martin.
Yuki Tsunoda lifeline shuts as Aston Martin confirms F1 2026 reserve driver
Tsunoda is likely to be dropped by Red Bull at the end of this season having largely struggled since becoming Max Verstappen’s teammate after the first two races of 2025.
The 25-year-old is expected to be replaced by Isack Hadjar, who has enjoyed an impressive debut season with the Racing Bulls junior team.
Aston Martin had emerged as a potential alternative option for the Japanese driver due to Tsunoda’s long-standing links with Honda, which will enter a technical partnership with the Silverstone-based team from F1 2026.
Tsunoda’s hopes of securing an F1 reprieve with Aston Martin received a further boost last month when the team’s current reserve driver, Felipe Drugovich, announced that he will return to full-time competition with Andretti in Formula E later this year.
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PlanetF1.com understands from sources close to the situation that Drugovich, the 2022 F2 champion, is likely to cut ties with Aston Martin ahead of the first round of the new Formula E season in December.
In a statement issued to PlanetF1.com on Tuesday, Aston Martin confirmed that Crawford will instead act as the team’s third driver for next season.
The role will see Crawford, the American driver currently competing in the F2 feeder series, attend every race of next year’s 24-calendar as Aston Martin’s reserve driver.
Aston Martin said: “Today we have announced that Young Driver Jak Crawford will become the team’s Third Driver for the 2026 Formula One season.
“The role sees Jak act as the team’s reserve driver at all races next season.”
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Aston Martin’s announcement comes hot on the heels of Crawford’s first appearance on an official F1 race weekend at the Mexican Grand Prix.
The 20-year-old deputised for Lance Stroll in the opening practice session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, setting the 19th-fastest time.
Crawford, of Charlotte, North Carolina, originally joined Aston Martin’s junior scheme in 2024 and has been described the team as a ‘constant presence’ in the simulator during the F1 2025 season.
Through his sim work, Crawford has assisted Aston Martin’s race operations during the current season as well as helping with the development of the highly-anticipated AMR26 – the first Aston Martin F1 car to be designed by Formula 1 tech guru Adrian Newey – for next season.
Crawford currently holds second place in the F2 standings, trailing championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli by 19 points ahead of the final two rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
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