2022 FIA Formula 2 World Champion Felipe Drugovich has landed an NTT IndyCar Series testing opportunity with reigning champions Chip Ganassi Racing.

Drugovich has served as Aston Martin’s Formula 1 Test and Reserve Driver since graduating from F2 at the end of 2022.

In 2024, the Brazilian balanced his testing duties with a European Le Mans Series campaign with Vector Sport and contested this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans with Action Express Racing’s Cadilac V-Series.R.

Now Drugovich will test an IndyCar with Ganassi at Barber Motorsports Park on September 30.

“We’ve received approval today from IndyCar to test him,” said CGR managing director Mike Hull via RACER.

“With the way IndyCar has the testing rules structured to test and evaluate drivers, it made sense to connect with Felipe and get him in one of our cars.”

Hull revealed the test is Chip Ganassi delivering on a promise to Drugovich.

Chip Ganassi saw Drugovich up close at Le Mans, with the team running the factory Cadillac effort in competition with Action Express.

“We wanted to test him a year ago and we’re catching up on that,” Hull said.

“Indirectly, we were introduced to Drugovich last year at Le Mans and were impressed with him up close and personal.

“We want to get to know him and we think it’s worth doing.”

Felipe Drugovich IndyCar race seat prospects slim

Chip Ganassi is downsizing from a five-car to a three-car effort in 2025 making a race seat opportunity unlikely for Drugovich.

Scott Dixon and 2024 IndyCar Champion Alex Palou are the only two confirmed drivers for Chip Ganassi in 2025.

Marcus Armstrong has departed for Meyer Shank Racing with Linus Lundqvist and Kyffin Simpson still looking for a drive.

As a result, Drugovich’s opportunities look remote.

“There were no strings attached to that one,” Hull revealed to Autosport. 

“Certainly, nothing to this one. Where is it gonna go? Right now, it doesn’t have legs.”

READ MORE: Meyer Shank Racing sign Marcus Armstrong for 2025 IndyCar campaign

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2022 Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich will join Action Express Racing and Cadillac for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, the team and manufacturer has confirmed.

The Brazilian will partner Jack Aitken and countryman Pipo Derani to make his debut in the French endurance classic.

Action Express Racing regularly race a factory-backed Cadillac V-Series.R in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, but will make their second start at Le Mans this year, after finishing 17th overall and 10th in class last year.

Drugovich, reserve driver for the Aston Martin Formula 1 team, has been racing in the European Le Mans Series this year for Vector Sport. However, he’ll swap the LMP2 cockpit for a Hypercar seat at Le Mans.

The 23 year old tested for the team at Laguna Seca, impressing the team with his lap times.

“I barely touched the magic of Le Mans 24 hours, winning twice the virtual editions,” said Drugovich.

“Now I am going to plunge into it for real with the No. 311 Cadillac of Action Express Racing, with my fellow Brazilian Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken. What a privilege having another dream coming true.

“I am only 23 years old, and I am having the most important opportunity in my racing car career until now thanks to Action Express and Cadillac.

“The 24 Hours of Le Mans is impossible to define in words, such is its magic and importance for cars in general and motor racing in particular. I am having the opportunity to live this 100 years history for the first time with AXR and Cadillac.”

Meanwhile, Action Express team manager Gary Nelson said, “Felipe has been on our radar for a couple of years. After watching him race a sports car in the ELMS recently, we finally got a chance to meet him and work with him in some simulator testing. We were impressed by his maturity, discipline and knowledge.

“Next, we took Felipe to a track test, where he shared our car with Pipo and Jack. We are very excited to take the next obvious step and enter Felipe alongside Pipo and Jack at Le Mans. His record speaks volumes.”

This year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans will take place on 15th-16th June.

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Aston Martin Formula 1 Reserve Driver Felipe Drugovich has found a permanent race seat in the form of British outfit Vector Sport’s LMP2 entry into the European Le Mans Series (ELMS).

Drugovich will pilot Vector’s Oreco-07 Gibson in the six-round ELMS campaign alongside co-drivers Ryan Cullen and Stephane Richelmi, after replacing the previously announced Gabriel Aubry.

This marks the 23-year-old Brazillian’s first full-time drive since winning the Formula 2 Championship in 2022.

In the interim period, Drugovich has had a sideline role as Aston’s F1 Reserve, which he will continue alongside his ELMS duties.

“I am really happy and motivated to have signed with Vector Sport to drive for them on the European Le Mans Series,” Drugovich said.

“I know the team’s history and quality and am very excited to get on track with them.

“I have met the team and was impressed with what I saw. I am sure that together with them, my fellow drivers Ryan Cullen and Stephane Richelmi, we can write a successful chapter with the No. 10 Oreca.

“Its good to know that I will be back in action in real races, bringing together my experience in racing and my fondness for endurance racing.

“My job as substitute and reserve driver with Aston Martin F1 continues with its full schedule, I will just be keeping busy on my weekends which up until now have been free.”

The move by Drugovich to suit up for an ELMS campaign tallies with his focus on keeping his options open for a coveted F1 drive.

The former F2 Champion allegedly turned down opportunities in IndyCar with Chip Ganassi Racing and Ed Carpenter Racing, along with a drive in Andretti’s FIA Formula E squad in favour of being retained as Aston’s Reserve in 2024.

However, with a seat reserved for Team Owner Lawrence Stroll’s son Lance, and the other potentially to be retained by two-time F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso or another established driver if the Spaniard goes elsewhere, Drugovich’s F1 options at Silverstone appear limited.

Still, an ELMS campaign in an LMP2 prototype could put the Brazilian in pole position to snatch a Hypercar drive in Aston Martin’s Valkyrie project in 2025.

For now, Drugovich will race in ELMS and perform simulator and limited testing duties for Aston Martin in Formula 1, with FP1 sessions likely to come the Brazilian’s way also.

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Felipe Drugovich will remain as Aston Martin’s test and reserve driver in Formula 1 next season.

Drugovich won last year’s Formula 2 championship before joining Aston Martin as back-up to Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.

Drugovich participated in pre-season testing in place of the injured Stroll before the Canadian was given the all-clear to return to action ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Alongside remaining as Aston Martin’s reserve in 2024 he will take part in FP1 at this month’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“I’m really proud to be continuing to work with Aston Martin for a second season,” said Drugovich.

“This year, I’ve learnt a huge amount – not just at the racetrack, but working with the engineers in the simulator and from the development programme that was designed for me.

“I’m proud of the contribution I’ve been able to make, and pleased that I’ve been able to help progress the development of AMR23.

“My focus now shifts towards preparing for the upcoming FP1 session at Abu Dhabi – I’m already looking forward to driving the AMR23 again – and to the work I’ll be doing with the engineers over the winter to prepare for 2024.”

Drugovich also participated in the opening practice session in Italy and his Abu Dhabi run will fulfil Aston Martin’s obligation to run a rookie in two sessions.

“Everyone at Aston Martin is incredibly pleased that Felipe will be staying with us in 2024,” said team boss Mike Krack.

“He’s a familiar face within the team; he understands the particular demands of the role, has a tremendous work ethic, and has shown his speed and experience after stepping in superbly for an injured Lance during pre-season testing in Bahrain.

“Every time he gets behind the wheel, we clearly see the strength of his contribution: his pace, feedback and commitment are all extremely valuable to our engineers.”

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New Formula E World Champion Jake Dennis has admitted that Avalanche Andretti Formula E are “interested” in Aston Martin F1 reserve Felipe Drugovich, for their vacant 2024 seat.

Andretti are currently on the hunt for a new driver following André Lotterer’s exit from the all-electric series, with the German set to focus on Porsche’s LMDh programme.

The seat at the Indianapolis-based team is arguably the hottest spot still available for next season, as the other vacant seats for season 10 are for sides who struggled this year, on the whole.

As revealed by Dennis, the reigning Formula 2 World Champion is a contender to be his new team-mate, with Drugovich’s Aston Martin reserve duties presumably not a problem. Drugovich made the switch to the Silverstone-based team this year following his title-winning F2 campaign in 2022. He’s yet to race anywhere this season alongside his Aston Martin role.

He has gained some Formula E experience this campaign, having completed the Berlin rookie test and the Rome rookie practice session for Maserati MSG Racing. The 23-year-old topped both sessions.

A seat at Maserati isn’t believed to be available, following the general belief that the side will retain Maximilian Günther. As things stand, though, this hasn’t been confirmed.

Drugovich is certainly an exciting prospect who performed well in both rookie sessions, and would be an excellent addition to the paddock. It would present Aston Martin with an interesting dilemma though, given that their other reserve driver, Stoffel Vandoorne, also competes in Formula E.

Whilst very few Formula E and F1 rounds clash, Aston Martin would require a new reserve driver for those events should Drugovich be offered the Andretti seat. Perhaps Mick Schumacher would be used by Aston Martin if needed, should the German remain at Mercedes as their reserve next season.

Andretti have clearly got a very strong package which is capable of fighting for consistent podiums and victories, with its Porsche powertrain being one of the strongest on the grid.

Dennis is certain that Drugovich would quickly deliver strong results in Formula E should he make the switch to Andretti; however, the Briton was quick to note that the Brazilian isn’t the only driver being considered.

“Clearly Drugovich is a very talented driver,” Dennis said, as per Total-Motorsport.com.

“He won F2 with complete dominance – there wasn’t a driver who could really get close to him.

“So in terms of talent, there’s no question about it, he is very capable of coming into Formula E and delivering top results.

“We are interested in him for sure, along with other drivers on the grid. It’s not just Drugovich we are looking into, there are multiple other drivers.”

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Aston Martin Reserve Driver Felipe Drugovich topped the second session of Berlin rookie test with a time of 1:05.509

Changes to this morning’s lineup saw Roberto Mehri take over the #8 Mahindra while Jonny Edgar jumped into the #37 Envision.

With many getting to grips with the tricky Formula E package, only three drivers did not take laps at the full 350kW power available.

Times were even closer to those set by the drivers over the weekend, with eight drivers getting into the 1:05s.

Drugovich’s fastest time was three-tenths quicker than the fastest lap set in the morning session, showing improvements from the whole field.

Sheldon van der Linde had to bow out of the session after an hour and a half after stopping on track and bringing out the red flag.

Victor Martins and Zane Maloney had their spells at the top of the time sheets but couldn’t quite match the pace of Drugovich, finishing the session second and third.

Luca Ghiotto was at the sharp end of the times again, finishing the session fourth fastest.

The Italian made a modest improvement from the morning session, just over a tenth faster than the time he set in the morning.

Robert Shwartzman and Jehan Darvala completed the joint most laps of the session with 57 each. The pair were also fast, posting times good enough for fifth and sixth respectively.

Luke Browning was up in the top ten again in the session, putting a lap together good enough for seventh and was two-tenths faster than the time he set this morning.

Porsche reserve David Beckmann only completed 26 laps in the afternoon session, his fastest being eighth fastest overall.

Danil Kvyat’s penultimate lap of the session was his fastest, putting him ninth on the timesheet, just over half a second off Drugovich’s time.

After having to sit out of the morning session due to issues with the other Envision car, Edgar only completed 11 laps and finished the session 20th.

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Maserati has opted to bring onboard a lineup of junior single-seater talent for the Berlin rookie test in Felipe Drugovich and Hugh Barter.

Drugovich is the reigning Formula 2 champion, winning in dominant fashion with an over 100-point margin over his rivals last year.

The Brazillian is also the reserve driver for Aston Martin and McLaren Formula 1 teams.

While Drugovich will assess his options within the Aston Martin F1 stable, the team’s junior may also look to the electric series for a drive for 2024.

“Formula E is a category that has always fascinated me, and it will be intriguing to experience the differences of a fully-electric car in comparison to the single-seaters I’ve raced in recent seasons.

“Knowing that I will be playing an active role in the development of such an iconic brand, in its first season back in World Championship motorsport, is a huge honour.”

Drugovich will be joined by current Formula 3 driver Hugh Barter in the test. Barter is in his rookie campaign in FIA F3 and will be one of the youngest drivers to drive in the test.

The Australian-Japanese driver had plenty of success at Formula 4 level, coming runner-up in both the Spanish and French championships.

“I’ve really enjoyed my experience in the sim so far and I can’t wait to get out on the track in Berlin. Working closely with James, Edo and Max will be an invaluable learning experience for me, especially at this stage of my career.”

The test will take place on Monday, May 24th after the doubleheader weekend in Berlin.

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Aston Martin has confirmed that Felipe Drugovich will be handed his Formula 1 in Bahrain debut if Lance Stroll isn’t declared fit to compete.

Stroll skipped pre-season testing this week after being involved in a biking accident in Spain.

The extent of his injuries isn’t publicly known, however it is understood that the Canadian driver has injured his wrists.

Fernando Alonso, who has joined Aston Martin for the upcoming campaign, says that the team was hurt by Stroll’s absence at testing.

Drugovich took part in pre-season testing in place of Stroll, tallying 117 laps during the event.

Aston Martin has now declared that it will be Drugovich inside the car next weekend for the season-opening race at the Bahrain International Circuit if Stroll is unable to race.

“The team will continue to give Lance every chance to race, pending recovery from his injury,” it said. “Should he not be fit to compete, then Felipe will drive the AMR23 alongside Fernando.”

Aston Martin also had the possibility to call up ex-F1 driver Stoffel Vandoorne, who is holding reserve driver duties with the team alongside his full-time Formula E seat this year.

Team boss Mike Krack outlined on Saturday that having Stroll in the car was its Plan A, but asserted that it had options elsewhere.

Drugovich drove the opening session of pre-season testing on Thursday, before he had another half-day inside the car on Saturday.

“We have a situation that isn’t 100 per cent clear,” Krack said.

“From that point of view you do your homework and you also have one of your reserve drivers that is available, that is here, to prepare him for the case that it is necessary.”

Last year, Aston Martin was forced to call in a sub for the opening round after Sebastian Vettel tested positive for Covid-19.

Nico Hulkenberg stepped in for his German compatriot, with the 35-year-old going on to sign for Haas for the 2023 campaign.

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Aston Martin has hinted that it has multiple alternative options to replace Lance Stroll for the Bahrain Grand Prix next weekend.

Stroll was forced to skip pre-season testing this week after injuring his wrists in a biking accident.

He has not yet been confirmed for the season-opening race in Sakhir, with Felipe Drugovich called up to replace him for the pre-season sessions.

“The team has to do its homework,” said Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack. “We have a situation that isn’t 100 per cent clear.

“From that point of view, you do your homework and you also have one of your reserve drivers that is available, that is here, to prepare him for the case that it is necessary [to put him in the car].”

However, Drugovich, who is the reigning Formula 2 champion, may not be the sole contender for the drive should Stroll’s absence be extended.

“We want to have Lance back in the car,” Krack added. “But we have to wait [for] what he says and what the doctors are saying.

“The Plan B we have to decide, we have some Plan Bs, we have to decide the Plan B when the Plan A is done.”

Aston Martin also has Stoffel Vandoorne signed as a reserve driver for the 2023 season, with the Belgian driver switching to Formula E competition following his F1 exit at the end of 2018.

Krack says that Stroll’s potential replacement is “something that we will have to discuss in the next days” as Aston Martin holds out hope that the Canadian driver will be fit to return.

The team is set to wait until the last possible moment to confirm its line-up for the first event of the year, with Stroll missing just one race (2020 Eifel Grand Prix) since making his F1 debut in 2017.

Stroll is also set to jump into Aston Martin’s simulator in the coming days to further evaluate his ability to climb back behind the wheel.

Another possibility that was thrown at Krack was a sensational return for Sebastian Vettel, who retired from F1 at the end of 2022.

However, Krack suggested that this would be an unlikely scenario for the team.

“He had a very, very thorough plan in mind for his retirement,” he said. 

“And I think this is also something that you have to respect. Let’s see what’s happening.”

But when asked if Vettel has shown an interest in returning for a one-off appearance, Krack said: “I will not tell you.”

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Aston Martin has confirmed that Felipe Drugovich will take part in the final day of pre-season testing with the team.

The news comes amid uncertainty over the Silverstone-based squad’s driver line-up for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

Lance Stroll was ruled out of testing after being involved in a biking accident in Spain.

Aston Martin has not committed to a line-up for the opening race of the campaign as it holds out hope that Stroll will be fit enough to return to the cockpit.

The extent of Stroll’s injuries is not publicly known, other than that they involve his hand and wrist area. Aston Martin outlined that Stroll’s accident was “minor”.

But various suggestions in the paddock say that Stroll has suffered broken wrists, which if true, means that he could be sidelined for several weeks, depending on the severity of the injury.

Drugovich was called up for the first day of testing and took the car out on Thursday morning – however his run was marred by electrical issues.

He will have more time behind the wheel of the AMR23 on Saturday as he will drive the morning session before Fernando Alonso takes over in the afternoon.

The plan is likely to be added preparation for Drugovich in the situation that the Brazilian is called upon for the entire race event next weekend.

It would mark Drugovich’s grand prix debut after he joined the Aston Martin programme last year on the same day he was crowned the 2022 Formula 2 champion.

Prior to his pre-season test outing, Drugovich was also handed his FP1 debut in Abu Dhabi last year and also took part in the post-season young drivers’ test with Aston Martin.

Drugovich is one of two reserve drivers that Aston Martin has in its pool this year, with reigning Formula E World Champion Stoffel Vandoorne also on call.

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