‘I didn’t know where to go. I was on the sidelines all year’

Winning an F2 championship no longer guarantees a seat in F1, as Kieran Jackson finds when he meets two young drivers

- By Kieran Jackson

Monza, the home of Ferrari and dubbed motorsport’s “Temple of Speed”, holds a special place in the heart of Felipe Drugovich. It was here that he sealed victory in the 2022 Formula Two championship. Draped in the Brazilian flag, eyes bulging, his pure look of exultation was not only one of sheer relief, but also of bullish hope.

And why shouldn't it have been? Recent history showed that triumphing in Formula One's feeder series (GP2 before 2017) was the natural catalyst for promotion to the exclusive 20-driver top table. Prior to 2022, eight consecutive champions had landed a spot in F1, dating back to Fabio Leimer's GP2 win in 2013. Yet excruciatingly for Drugovich, raw pace and points on the board aren't always the No 1 factor in this sport.

“I think I’ve come close to a seat way too many times,” the 25-year-old tells The Independent, on a journey which sees him still waiting, with admirable patience, on the sidelines for a permanent crack at the premier division. “Then again, maybe other drivers say the same... I’m not sure how close I’ve really got.”

Wrong place, wrong time? You can say that again.

Drugovich has enacted his duties as an Aston Martin reserve driver commendably over the past three years. The young starlet, from the southern Brazilian city of Maringa, has barely missed an F1 race since that triumphant day in Monza. Omnipresent in the paddock, Drugovich has shone in various practice outings, the highlight being a top 10 lap-time in FP1 last year in Abu Dhabi, quicker than two-time world champion Fernando Alonso in the same machinery.

Yet still, no avenues to F1 emerge. With last week's news that F1's soon-to-be 11th team Cadillac have, in arguably an uninspiring move, acquired two experienced heads in Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, another potential route for Drugovich has raced agonisingly into the yonder.