Formula 2 title contender Jak Crawford wants to move up to Formula 1 – Cadillac could sign him, the American driver the team desperately wants
Cadillac wants to see an American driver in its ranks when it enters Formula 1 as a US brand. There is an up-and-coming youngster who could be in the running for a cockpit: Jak Crawford. We are talking about Jak Crawford, who is fighting for the title in Formula 2. The 20-year-old has repeatedly shown flashes of his talent in the junior series.
Crawford was a Red Bull junior for a long time, but switched camps in 2024 and now drives for Aston Martin. He has already been allowed to test in the simulator and drive Formula 1 cars for the British team. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native wants to make it to the premier class in 2026, but Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll seem to be the established drivers at Aston Martin.
However, Cadillac wants to sign an American for its entry into Formula 1, and the youngster could be a candidate. Crawford currently drives for DAMS in Formula 2 and is third in the overall standings. He is only nine points behind Leonardo Fornaroli. With five events remaining in the current season, he still has every chance of winning the title.
The American on the wish list
Whether he makes the leap to Formula 1 also depends on his performance in Formula 2. He says: “If I win the championship, it would be great for my career. It would give me more options: either a cockpit or the role of reserve driver for 2026 in Formula 1 again. We’re trying to get a place on the grid – whether it’s Cadillac, Aston Martin or another team.”
Cadillac team boss Graeme Lowdon has made it clear that the brand would like to find an American driver, and Crawford is presenting himself on a silver platter. However, according to Lowdon, there is no obligation to sign an American. “There are talks, but they are moving very slowly at the moment,” the youngster clarifies. “I just have to do a good job in Formula 2.”
The 20-year-old sees himself competing with experienced and successful drivers such as Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, who also appear to be on Cadillac’s list. Mick Schumacher could also be in the running. Crawford is now in his third year of Formula 2. He finished 13th in 2023 and fifth in 2024. In 2025, he definitely has a chance to finish at the top of the standings at the end of the season.
License getting closer
Thanks to his performance in 2024, he has earned 20 important super license points. He therefore needs one more top-five finish to be eligible for Formula 1 in 2026. “We had a great car last year, but we lacked the small details in every race,” he says of his performances in Formula 2 with DAMS.
“I stayed with DAMS because I felt that we had identified the small things we needed to change,” Crawford continues. “I was already driving at a good level last year, but I lacked consistency. It’s difficult to get the tires up to temperature, but we looked at the data and did better in the next race.”
“We still didn’t manage to drive another race like that,” he says of the lack of consistency. “We put everything to the test for this season and managed to solve the problem.” He has already scored three wins in 2025, but qualifying still seems to be his biggest weakness.
Spa a minor setback
In Spa-Francorchamps, he only managed 14th place in qualifying. Then he was involved in an incident with Richard Verschoor on the first lap of the sprint. In the wet main race, he lacked pace, which meant he failed to finish in the top 10 for the first time since Jeddah. However, he is not letting this setback discourage him.
“It’s just one weekend,” he says. “We try not to have a bad weekend, but we’re still close in the standings, so it’s not the end of the world. There are still five weekends to go, so we can still achieve everything. Anything can happen, especially in this championship. The Spa weekend is painful, of course, but I know I’ll be stronger.”
