Aston Martin asks Felipe Drugovich to ‘be patient’ for an F1 seat despite Lance Stroll’s poor 2023 run

Felipe Drugovich is a highly rated driver and is the reigning title holder in the Formula 2 world championship.

Aston Martin asks Felipe Drugovich to ‘be patient’ for an F1 seat despite Lance Stroll’s poor 2023 run

Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll and Felipe Drugovich (Via IMAGO)

Felipe Drugovich, the Aston Martin reserve driver and the reigning Formula 2 world champion, has been on the sidelines for quite some time at the pinnacle of motor racing. He is desperate to get a racing seat in F1 as soon as possible, but amidst Lance Stroll’s poor run, he has been advised by Aston Martin to be patient in his pursuit.

Felipe Drugovich is currently 23 years old and is rated very highly in the F1 paddock. He has made a single Free Practice appearance this year for the Aston Martin F1 team and has looked quite solid. While Lanco Stroll has had a tumultuous time behind the wheel of the AMR23 this year, it is unlikely that he will be moved on ahead of next season.

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Drugovich is itching to get a permanent seat in F1 at the earliest. While talking about the same, Aston Martin’s team principal, Mike Krack said, as reported by RaceFans, “Even if you don’t make this step immediately, or even the year or the year after, I think there is always some constraints where there’s regulation changes, teams wants consistency with their drivers.”

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“Whereas in the junior categories you move up every year, or every second year, in F1 people stay for long so it’s natural that you don’t have so many places. I think at the end of the day, people like Felipe or now the next champion or the previous one, they need to be patient, and they need to try and keep themselves in the game as much as possible.”

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Lance Stroll has not been able to match his world-champion teammate at Aston Martin

While Mike Krack has asked Felipe Drugovich to stay patient, Lance Stroll has had a horrendous season behind the wheel of the AMR23. He has struggled with one issue or throughout 2023 and has not been able to put in consistent performances. Fernando Alonso, on the other hand, has gone from strength to strength in his first season with the team.

Lance Stroll (Credits: Planet F1)
Lance Stroll (Credits: Planet F1)

The ongoing campaign is seventeen rounds down, and Stroll has only managed 47 points in the season so far. In contrast, the former two-time world champion has put on board an impressive 174 points with seven podium finishes. This gives an accurate representation of how much the Canadian has struggled against the Spanish legend.

However, despite everything, Lance Stroll will most likely keep his seat for next year and Felipe Drugovich will have to sit out another F1 season. The Brazilian has everything in his arsenal to race in F1. Still, considering the situation at Aston Martin, he may need to look elsewhere on the grid from next year onward in order to get a racing seat.

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