Aston Martin F1’s reserve and development driver, Jak Crawford, has opened up on the progress of the 2026 car after driving it on the simulator. Crawford revealed that it was “fascinating” to see the work being done on the new car in the wind tunnel, a project being led by managing technical partner, Adrian Newey, who joined in March.
Crawford, who competes in Formula 2, has been working to secure a full-time F1 seat in the future. His role as a development driver means he has driven all of Aston Martin’s F1 cars except the current AMR25.
The 20-year-old driver has had a taste of the 2026 F1 car on the simulator. As F1 enters a new era of regulations next year, cars will feature active aero, with half of the power being generated by batteries.
Aston Martin has been successful in partnering with the right parties that helped Red Bull dominate the current ground effect era – Newey and Red Bull’s power unit supplier, Honda. The 2025 season marks the Milton Keynes-based team’s last year with Honda, since the Japanese automaker has collaborated with Aston Martin to supply the team’s power units from next year.
Newey, renowned for designing some of the most iconic F1 cars, could produce another masterpiece next year. With the car ready to hit the racetrack in the virtual world, Crawford revealed his experience with the 2026 simulator. He said:
“I’ve spent a lot of time in the simulator. I’m helping the continued development of the AMR25 and I’ve also been working on the 2026 project.”
When asked for an update on the work being carried out on the 2026 car, Crawford said:
“It’s been cool getting to grips with the 2026 models in the simulator and, as you would expect, it’s a bit different to the current generation of cars, with new aspects such as active aero to get used to. It’s not totally representative of how the car will feel come round one in Australia next year, but it gives us a good idea.
“I’ve been working on the 2026 car in the sim and there’s been a lot of evolution, with both the power unit and the chassis.
“It’s been fascinating to see the progress we’re making based on our wind tunnel data and the work with Honda – I’ve never helped develop a power unit before.
“And I’ve never gone through this level of rule change in Formula One as a driver, so to see things others aren’t getting to see and play my part in the project is really exciting. It’s a privilege.”
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