Drugovich keen for a taste of low downforce at Monza

Aston Martin F1 reserve driver Felipe Drugovich is keen to get to grips with the AM23 this week and experience what it's like to drive a Formula 1 car with the lowest possible downforce settings.

The Temple of Speed is well known for being a venue in which wing settings are trimmed to their skinniest settings.

And that will be a first for the 23-year-old Brazilian driver who won last year's Formula 2 championship.

"Monza is a very fast track," he explained. "Everyone runs very low downforce to reduce the drag and be as fast as possible on the straights.

"Driving an F1 car in a low-downforce specification will be a new experience for me; previously it's always had a high, or quite high, downforce setting.

"I'm eager to see how an F1 car behaves with a low wing level, just sliding around a little bit more. The key focus will be to maximise my exits out of the corners and speed down the straights.

• Read also: Aston Martin hands Drugovich FP1 outing at Monza

Asked what his objectives are when he sits in for Lance Stroll in Friday's first practice session, he said: "To learn as much as I can, give precise feedback to the team, and to help with the initial set up of the car before Lance gets back behind the wheel for FP2. Those are my main goals."

Drugovich previously got behind the wheel of the car at the end of 2022 and then again earlier this year in pre-season testing in Bahrain, and has been embedded at Aston for every race this season.

"It's great to have the opportunity to get back behind the wheel of the AMR23 this weekend at the venue where I secured my F2 title last year," he said.

"A few months after that, I made my free practice debut for Aston Martin at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and it was an unforgettable experience.

"The physical and mental demands of driving a F1 car are on another level. The feeling is like no other. I can't wait to experience it again at Monza.

"FP1 on Friday will be a chance for me to learn more about the AMR23," he continued. "I'm curious to see how it has evolved since I drove it in pre-season testing at the beginning of the year.

"Pirelli's Alternative Tyre Allocation is being trialled again this weekend," he pointed out. "Hard, medium and soft tyres must be used in qualifying on Saturday which means fewer sets of tyres will be available for practice sessions.

"It's therefore likely that I'll spend a long time on one set of tyres in FP1," he acknowledged. "But it's still a great opportunity for me to learn."

"When I'm not behind the wheel, I'll be trackside watching Lance and Fernando and trying to learn as much as I can from them," he said. "There's always a lot I can learn from both of them.

"I'll study Lance and Fernando's data to see what they’re doing, how they're getting the most out of the AMR23 and compare their telemetry with my performance in FP1.

"It will be difficult to make direct comparisons because I'm not driving at the same time as them and the track will have evolved. That's why FP1 is so important for me this weekend, so I can create a solid reference point and improve my own performance."

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