Crawford in “very sluggish” 2026 F1 talks with Cadillac

American hopeful Jak Crawford has been sounding out as many Method 1 groups as potential to try to discover a chance on the grid in 2026 – which can come with Cadillac. 

As soon as a longtime Crimson Bull junior, Crawford switched to the Aston Martin academy for 2024, which supplied him with simulator time and a number of other take a look at outings in F1 equipment. 

Crawford had been eyeing an F1 debut with Aston Martin for 2026, however with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll underneath contract and the scenario most unlikely to vary, the DAMS Method 2 driver is overtly taking a look at different choices. 

Crawford revealed to Autosport that his future at Aston Martin was “up within the air” in the mean time. 

“It relies upon lots on what I do in Method 2 this 12 months,” he defined. “If I can win the championship, it could be nice for my profession. It might result in many alternatives, whether or not [that's] with a seat on the grid or doubtlessly once more reserve driver subsequent 12 months in Method 1. 

“We're looking for any house on the grid, whether or not it is with Cadillac or Aston Martin or another groups.” 

The brand new Cadillac F1 staff, through its staff principal Graeme Lowdon, has been open about its want to have an American driver in considered one of its automobiles, although that is no prerequisite. At present third within the Method 2 championship with DAMS, Crawford is the obvious candidate from junior formulae. 

“There have been talks, I have been speaking, however it's very sluggish in the mean time,” mentioned Crawford, who was born in North Carolina and later moved to Texas. “From my facet, I simply must do a very good job in Method 2.” 

With competitors from the likes of grand prix winners Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, Crawford admitted that convincing Cadillac to present him a shot is a tall order. 

“There's nothing I can do to compete,” he added. “Truly, the one factor I can do is do effectively in F2. Apart from that, I am unable to actually do the rest.” 

So, how has Crawford been doing in F1's feeder collection? That is his third season at this stage after he took thirteenth in 2023 and fifth in 2024.

The latter outcome granted him 20 superlicence factors, which implies all he must be eligible for a 2026 F1 drive is one other top-five end, although he has been extra formidable than this. 

Crawford determined extending his partnership with the DAMS squad gave him the very best likelihood of success. “We had an amazing automobile already final 12 months, however we simply had been lacking some small particulars at every race. So, I made a decision to stick with DAMS as a result of I felt like we knew what the small particulars had been to vary,” he defined. 

“Final 12 months already I felt like I used to be driving at fairly a very good stage, however it simply wasn't very constant. We simply could not get it proper on a constant foundation. 

“Tyres are tremendous difficult to heat up. We had been in a position to take a look at all the information and enhance it for the subsequent race, however we couldn't clearly do the identical race once more. So now I really feel like we're having virtually a redo of all of the races this 12 months, and we're capable of repair what went incorrect.” 

Up to now, this has been principally profitable, regardless of the occasional wrestle in qualifying. Within the first eight rounds of 14, Crawford has scored practically as many factors as he did within the entirety of his 2024 marketing campaign, although Spa-Francorchamps introduced an finish to a streak of 10 race finishes inside the highest six (plus one contest he didn't begin), which included three victories. 

In Belgium, the 20-year-old certified down in 14th and was concerned in a first-lap incident within the dash race as Richard Verschoor, apparently unaware of not one however two automobiles on his left, pushed each Crawford and Luke Browning into the gravel.

“I had a bent steering, every thing was bent on the suitable facet and I used to be additionally shedding 50 factors of downforce,” the DAMS driver lamented. 

Then Crawford desperately lacked tempo within the moist function race, taking the chequered flag in seventeenth after accumulating a 37-second deficit in 19 laps – with some 5 seconds misplaced in a visit by gravel and grass at Les Fagnes. 

“We tried copying what we did in Silverstone, that labored very effectively for us,” he mentioned. “It did not work in that race, so we simply struggled quite a bit.” 

Don't let this mediocre weekend cloud your judgement of Crawford's total efficiency. Above, he referred to the Silverstone function race, the place he snatched the lead from third at the beginning and took a close to lights-to-flag victory, withstanding assaults from Alex Dunne – the McLaren junior whom Crawford singles out as the motive force who has impressed him probably the most. Dunne was dominant once more at Spa-Francorchamps in moist circumstances earlier than shedding the win to a penalty over a beginning process breach.

Regardless, Crawford isn't overly frightened in regards to the affect of his Spa setback: “It is just one weekend. You strive to not have some dangerous weekends, however we're nonetheless fairly shut within the championship, so I believe it is not the tip of the world. 

“There's nonetheless 5 extra weekends after this, so there's nonetheless lots at stake. Something can occur, particularly on this collection. In fact it sucks to not have some good factors this weekend, however to not fear. I've little question that I may be stronger.”