One-time Grand Prix driver Jack Aitken has permanently closed the door on his F1 aspirations, declaring without regret that he’ll happily take his one-off experience “to my grave”.
Despite a promising career in motorsport’s junior ranks, Aitken's progression to Formula 1 was marked by a series of setbacks and unfulfilled expectations.
The British-Korean driver’s entry into the Renault driver academy in 2015 provided a welcome boost to his prospects as he transitioned the following year into GP3.
A runner-up spot in the series behind George Russell further highlighted his talent and earned him a promotion to the FIA Formula 2 Championship and a testing role with Renault in F1 in 2018.
The move represented a promising career trajectory, but it also exposed Aitken to the harsh realities of being a reserve driver in a sport where opportunities are scarce.
Aitken's debut in Formula 1 came with Williams at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, when he was assigned to Russell’s seat following the Briton’s interim drive with Mercedes in the wake of Lewis Hamilton’s absence due to testing positive for Covid.
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Despite a promising start, Aitken's race was marred by a spin on the pit straight, a mishap in which he damaged his front wing and that triggered a Safety Car.
The race’s neutralisation led to Russell’s demise as Mercedes had pitted the Briton and mistakenly gave him Valtteri Bottas's tyres.
Despite the setback, Aitken managed to secure a 16th-place finish, which turned out to be his best – and only - result in Formula 1.
"At the time I was massively frustrated with my experience because it looked like I might get a second Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, because Lewis was still not sure if he'd be recovered in time," Aitken told The Race.
"I didn't get that, the one race I did [have], I had the accident and that really frustrated me as a driver.
"With the benefit of time and hindsight, I look back and I was like: 'Actually, all the other stuff that I did, whether it was in practice, in qualifying, the rest of the race, I did as good a job as I could have done'.
"That memory of being part of the 20 drivers in the world that get to do that, even if it's just once, that's something I can take to... take to my grave, basically, and be happy that I did that."
Aitken drifted away from F1 in 2022, calling time on his relationship with Williams, and has since redirected his career towards the sports car arena and endurance racing.
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In hindsight, as a young hopeful at the time, Aitken feels that it was perhaps a ‘mistake’ for him to focus his efforts entirely on F1.
"So I was in the Renault academy for four years - I would say for the first three years of that there was never any thought of taking my career in another direction,” he recounted.
"Possibly a mistake. When I talk to younger drivers now I'm like 'you really should consider that stuff [outside of F1], at least just open doors elsewhere... Because statistically speaking it's more likely, bro'.
"I mean, I think I can speak frankly about it - not because I had a bad time, I really enjoyed my time with Williams and with Renault before that. But it is a boring job.
"You're a spare part. You come to a weekend- okay, yeah, you can sit in on the meetings, maybe you can do some basic jobs here and there, but really there's nothing for you to do except wait for someone to fall down the stairs - and that's a terrible life to live!
"So, yeah, most people hate it.”
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