“He Was Quicker Than Fernando Alonso”: Liam Lawson Names Young Driver Who Deserves an F1 Seat

With just 20 seats available on the grid, it is no secret that there is cutthroat competition in F1 to secure a full-time seat. Even some of the most talented drivers never get the opportunity to compete at the pinnacle of motorsport. One such young driver who “deserves” a seat, per Liam Lawson, is Aston Martin reserve Felipe Drugovich.

“If anybody deserves a seat right now, it is Drugovich man,” Lawson said on the Pitstop podcast. The New Zealander justified his pick by adding, “This year I think he was quicker than Fernando (in Abu Dhabi)”. Drugovich clocked the ninth fastest time during FP1 in Abu Dhabi and was 0.033 seconds quicker than two-time champion Fernando Alonso.

 

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While Lawson admitted in the podcast that he is not sure what was Aston Martin’s run plan during FP1 that resulted in Drugovich going quicker, he yet believes that the Brazilian clocked in some good representative lap times.

It is indeed a shame that even a driver as talented as Drugovich has failed to secure an F1 seat despite winning the 2022 F2 title. He has been part of the Aston Martin driver development program since last year and has tested for them several times with multiple FP1 outings too.

However, Drugovich hasn’t been in strong contention for a full-time drive. Aston cannot accommodate the 24-year-old as they have Alonso on a long-term deal besides Lance Stroll, who is on a rolling contract, courtesy of being the team owner’s son.

Elsewhere, Drugovich has tried his luck at teams like Sauber and Williams, but to no avail. It is a sad reality that F2 champions like him and Theo Pourchaire haven’t driven in F1 while drivers like Logan Sargeant have raced for almost two seasons. Nevertheless, Drugovich may look to find his calling elsewhere.

Drugovich has decided to compete in other racing series

After failing to get an F1 seat in both 2023 and 2024, Drugovich finally decided to try his hand at other racing categories such as the 2024 European Le Mans Series. He competed in five races and managed to finish on the podium once.

Drugovich also took part in the Formula E rookie test earlier this year in Berlin. He impressed there as well by clocking the second-fastest lap time and was just 0.071 seconds slower than Ferrari reserve driver Robert Shwartzman in the first test session.

A few months later, Drugovich also got the unique opportunity to test in IndyCar with Chip Ganassi Racing. With him impressing there as well, the Brazilian has finally landed a full-time opportunity in 2025 as he will compete in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Cadillac Whelen.