A snapshot in time from life in the fast lane. The Aston Martin Aramco driver squad shares what's on their mind right now and what they've been up to, both on and off the track. First up, Jak Crawford reveals his lofty ambitions for the F2 season, what it's like to drive our new simulator, why the Australian Grand Prix is one of the best and how a trip to the Canary Islands got his heart racing.
By Jak Crawford...
"Welcome to 'The Steering Column'. Over the course of this season, you'll hear from each of the Aston Martin Aramco driver squad and what's on our minds. I'm up first as I gear up for a new F2 campaign.
"In this first instalment, I reveal why I'm ready to fight for the F2 title, how I'll stop at nothing to reach Formula One, my love for the Houston Rockets, and why padel players around the world need to watch their backs this year..."
From the slopes to courtside
"First and foremost, I had a very busy off-season indulging in a few of my favourite sports other than racing.
"I started my time off snowboarding in Colorado for a week. It's a good way to switch off after a long campaign, but in an exciting way that gives you an adrenaline buzz and gets your pulse racing.
"Staying Stateside, I also went back to my family home in Texas. I spend most of my time in Europe now, so to have that time back home was great.
"Being back in Houston, I made sure I went to the basketball. I went to several Houston Rockets matches and I loved it. I'm a huge basketball fan, the entire spectacle is awesome. The NBA season is ongoing right now, but I love to go to American football or baseball games too, it's just a bit harder to do so as they clash more with the racing calendar and tracking it in Europe is difficult because of the time difference. I'll have one eye on the Houston Astros when the new MLB season starts later this month though."
The new sim we have is exceptional. It's the closest thing you can get to the real car.
Getting back to business
"The urge to get back driving is never far away during the winter, and it wasn't long until I was back in the UK and in the simulator at the AMR Technology Campus. I've clocked up a lot of hours in it already this year and was on duty when the team was in Bahrain for testing.
"The new sim we have is exceptional. It's the closest thing you can get to the real car. Whilst the team was in Bahrain, back at the AMR Technology Campus we would be getting reams of data sent to us and checking it correlated with the sim.
"That's helped me dial in and sharpen up ahead of the new season, whilst on the physical side I've been training hard with my performance coach. We went on two training holidays in the Canary Islands, working in somewhat warmer weather than in the UK!
"One of the areas we focused on was my cardio output, not that it wasn't good already, I just want to be better at everything and cardio is one area you can improve without gaining too much muscle weight, which is vital as it can affect driver and car performance.
"It's been all systems go. I've done some Formula E work and testing in Barcelona for F2, so I feel very prepared to go racing."
It's great to see a lot of rookies competing in F1. It shows that there's opportunity for drivers like me.
Setting expectations
"I'm a returning driver so I've got good experience and, truthfully, I feel as though I can achieve a lot more than last season.
"I personally felt as though there were many rocky moments over last year and I still finished fifth in the championship. I take confidence from that.
"If I had the same speed and ironed out those moments, we would have been challenging for the championship in 2024. With a bit more experience, I'll be better in that respect.
"I feel good, I'm excited to get going, and the goal is to show I'm good enough for F1.
"Everything I do is to try to get into F1. I'm already racing at such a high level, but you just want more as a driver. I'm learning as much as possible to make myself better, whether that's via my F2 or Formula E work: it's all to keep improving and be ready for F1.
"And it's great to see a lot of rookies racing in F1 this year, it shows that there's opportunity for young drivers like me. It's only added to my motivation and confidence that I can get to F1 because I've raced against them and beaten them in other series. It gives me confidence. I know I can compete."
A sophomore year
"I'm very excited to be working with Aston Martin Aramco again. I'm more comfortable having got to know everyone and there's so much to be excited about inside the team.
"I've had it confirmed I'll be going to the United States and Las Vegas Grands Prix. I enjoyed going to those races in 2024. I drove in the demo run as we celebrated the launch of Generation 3 with Aramco in Houston ahead of the United States Grand Prix back in October, so that's an event with particularly special memories for me now.
"And I'll be getting behind the wheel of the AMR23 at Zandvoort to do some testing at some point this year. I drove an F1 car for the first time in 2024 and the thrill of doing so never fades, so I can't wait for that opportunity to come around once more."
Melbourne is really cool. The food scene is brilliant; there are loads of different cuisines to try – though Texas pips the Aussies in the BBQ stakes, even if I'm a bit bias!
Going Down Under
"I love heading to Australia. It's my favourite race weekend because of the atmosphere the fans create and its location.
"Melbourne is really cool. The food scene is brilliant; there are loads of different cuisines to try – though Texas pips the Aussies in the BBQ stakes, even if I'm a bit bias!
"The track itself is mega to drive and its location is beautiful with the different lakes and trees lining parts of the circuit.
"And the passion from the fans is so big. It's probably got one of the biggest fan zones in F1 and the noise when the drivers come out is deafening.
"I headed out to Melbourne quite early before the race weekend to combat the jet lag. The flight gave me plenty of time to catch up with different shows on Netflix.
"I've been watching Squid Game recently. I've just started the second series and I would recommend it for anyone about to embark on a long-haul flight.
"Once I arrived, I was quickly looking to play padel. I love it, I've got four of my own rackets and I'm very, very competitive. We go to so many countries over a season so my performance coach and I try to play different people in each location. There's an app that matches you with other padel players wherever you are so we go to these places and try to find some people to beat.
"It's become hugely popular with the drivers. The best I've seen is fellow driver squad member Felipe Drugovich but I'd say I'm one of the better drivers as well; I'd back myself against most! It's very easy to pick up and, as long as you know the rules, a beginner can play at a decent level.
"Tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis is a guest of the team this weekend and he's going to meet team ambassador Pedro de la Rosa, who I know is a huge fan of all racquet sports. Pedro's set to play Zach Grabovic, a professional pickleball player, so I may have to gatecrash their match if I have the time. I played pickleball back in Austin last year and really enjoyed it, but of course I'll be playing to win!
"Padel has been my warm-up before we go racing in Albert Park, but nothing compares to being behind the wheel. That's when the most fun of all starts. Let's go!"
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