Felipe Drugovich enjoyed an effortless coronation in the FIA Formula 2 Championship at Monza on Saturday.
The Brazilian driver was determined to clinch the title with a spirited drive in the day's sprint race, but a first-lap retirement after a collision with Amaury Cordeel at Turn 5 left Drugovich stranded on the pitwall watching the race's proceedings unfold.
Fortunately for the MP Motorsport charger, it was a short wait as a mistake on lap 14 by his single title rival Theo Pourchaire put the latter out of contention.
Drugovich's next step is to hang around the F1 paddock and sound out those teams – specifically Alpine and Williams – that still have available seats for 2023, while a reserve role with Aston Martin could also be on offer.
"There are few places still available in F1," said the 22-year-old.
"Obviously, it’s very difficult to get that main seat. We’re trying, but if not, we’ll try to get a reserve seat. For the moment, I’m just trying to get that main seat.
"Hopefully the news will be around quite a lot, I think that there are a lot of people cheering, especially because there’s no Brazilian in F1.
"I think if you go down the ladder, I’m the first one that they can pick and it’s special to get the job done for them.
"They’re really missing someone in F1 and hopefully, I can be there one day to represent the country."
