Aston reserve Drugovich looking for 2023 race programme

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Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich says his focus will be on F1 next season, but the Brazilian is also looking to for a race programme in another category to complete his schedule.

Drugovich was rewarded for winning the 2022 FIA Formula 2 Championship with a reserve role with Aston Martin, a task that will see him embed with the team at most events while also conducting sim work and enjoying a few FP1 outings with the Silverstone-based outfit.

However, as Aston Martin has given him the all clear to seek a race seat elsewhere to remain active, Drugovich is in search of a second job.

Read also: Rising star Luke Browning earns Aston Martin F1 test

"I will be doing the reserve role for Aston Martin, I’m going to be following the team and learning as much as I can, I’ll do a few FP1s as well, that’s something very nice to look forward [to]", said Drugovich at Friday's FIA Gala in Bologna.

"The team is keen to let me do something else, which I don’t know yet, but we’re trying to see if there is an opportunity to just keep racing, but the priority is also going to be Formula 1."

Drugovich hasn't identified a concrete opportunity in another category, but the Brazilian charger has a few ideas of

"We have no real direction until now – I’m just hoping I can race something professionally, and something that doesn’t really clash with Formula 1," he said.

"It has to be a programme that doesn’t take too much from my year.

"Anything above Formula 2 I’ll look at – Hypercar, Super Formula, I don’t know what yet."

The Aston reserve also said that an outing at Le Mans next June "would be amazing".

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.