Recently announced Reserve and Development Driver for Andretti, Jak Crawford will take part in the upcoming Jeddah Rookie Test. The event, set to take place next Thursday, will mark the first ever outing of Formula E cars on the track. Thus, it will be a very important occasion for all teams involved to get acquainted with the new track ahead of the race.
Crawford’s 2025 Andretti debut
Crawford is an official reserve driver for Aston Martin F1. He will return for a third season of Formula 2 in 2025 with DAMS. The young American driver has won two races in the championship, the 2024 Barcelona Feature Race and the 2023 Austrian Sprint Race as a Hitech driver. He ended the past season in P5 in the drivers’ standings.
Crawford had been part of last year’s Rookie Test session held in Berlin. This time around, however, will be his first experience of the most recent version of electrical cars:
“I’m very excited at the opportunity of driving a Formula E car again. Especially as it will be my first time in the GEN3 Evo. I’m super excited to experience the increased acceleration and try out the new all-wheel-drive system.”
Great opportunity for him and the team both
“I’m very familiar with the track from driving there in Formula 2. So it will be interesting to compare the experiences. Ultimately, the aim will be to secure important data for the team to put us in the best position possible ahead of our race weekend.”
Team Principal Roger Griffith commented on the announcement, highlighting the importance of track time for young drivers.
“After a strong showing at the Berlin Rookie Test last May and extensive simulator time driving the GEN3 Evo, having Jak represent the Andretti Formula E team during the Free Practice 0 session is a key aspect in correlating the work in the virtual world with actual time spent on track. Additionally, increasing his familiarity with the car is vital should Jak need to step in to replace one of our race drivers.”
