Resilience will be the key for Drugovich in Formula 1

Felipe Drugovich dominated the 2022 Formula 2 season and became champion with three races to spare. One day after the Italian Grand Prix, he was announced as the first driver in Aston Martin's new development programme. With that, he places himself as the Brazilian with the best chances of being in Formula 1 in the next years. But it is hard to imagine this happening in the British team.

A career full of obstacles

Drugovich's path to Formula 1 was not as straight as some of the young drivers who arrived in the category recently. Despite having some financial support from his family, the 22-year-old driver is another case of a Brazilian who suffered to attract sponsors to fund his passage through the European motorsport. This forced him to be very resilient and creative. After leaving Formula 4, for instance, "Drugo" didn't take the natural path by migrating to the FIA Formula 3 European Championship or GP3, but to EuroFormula Open, a cheaper alternative to the main championships of this level in Europe, but which never managed to attract the top drivers. When he returned to the "traditional FIA ladder", in Formula 3, his budget allowed him only a spot in a Carlin that was no longer experiencing its best days and did not allow him to make a championship above discrete. It was then that Drugovich's talent and, again, intelligence gave a new direction to his career.

Without a budget that would give him a chance in one of the main F3 teams, the Brazilian decided to go to Formula 2, racing for MP Motorsport. The bet was to surprise in a team that always had discrete results to attract sponsors and make a leap in the following year. The shot was right, the Brazilian won three races in his debut year and caught the attention of UNI-Virtuosi for 2021. After a down year at the team, which seemed to distance him from the F1 dream, Drugovich returned to MP Motorsport and the fit with the Dutch team boosted his performance, leading the Brazilian to dominate F2 in 2022 and become champion with three races in advance. And one day after the Italian F1 Grand Prix, all Felipe's bets were rewarded: he was announced as the first driver of Aston Martin's development programme. From now on, Drugovich is officially linked to a Formula 1 team, something unprecedented in his career, and will be able to participate in test sessions and free practice with the team. However, resilience will again need to prevail to convert the position into a starting spot.

Will there be room for Drugovich at Aston Martin?

Aston Martin's driver duo for 2023 includes veteran Fernando Alonso, with a multi-year contract that never seems to age, and a Lance Stroll with more stability than his results presume, due to being the son of the team owner. With that said, it's very hard to imagine the British team having a seat to offer Drugovich in 2024. So, in a year when many drivers will be ending their contracts and the market should be even more agitated, the Brazilian will need to impress in the opportunities he will have in eventual free practice sessions and collective tests to show he deserves to be hired by another team, even if it is on loan, aiming to return to Aston Martin in the future.

From now on begins the most important race of Drugovich's career, which he has already proven more than once he is capable of winning. Opening doors and digging out unlikely opportunities has been a constant so far, and he has been doing an exceptional job of it. So, no one better suited to take on this adventure in 2023 than him. It remains to be seen if he will have what it takes to once again make opportunities that don't seem to be knocking on his door blossom and take the final step towards realising his dream of representing Brazil in the top category of world motorsport.