HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Jak Crawford, 20, is living life on the fast track. The Woodlands native is the Third Driver for the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team.<\/p>\n
Formula 1 is an exciting international sport where the fastest drivers in the world race high-tech cars, and every second matters.<\/p>\n
Crawford began racing go-karts locally, and by 12, he headed to Europe to pursue his dream of joining Formula 1.<\/p>\n
“The competition has been so tough, but for sure a lot of fun” Crawford admits. “I feel like I have learned a lot and also learned how to become a better driver.”<\/p>\n
Each F1 team has two main drivers who compete in the Grand Prix races. As the Third Driver, Crawford has to be prepared to jump in whenever he’s needed.<\/p>\n
“I prepare every race like I’m going to drive because you know, you can’t be caught off guard,” Crawford said.<\/p>\n
The movie F1 brought Formula 1 racing into the U.S. spotlight this past year. It’s up for four Academy Awards, including Best Film. We asked Jak how the movie matches up to real life in the sport.<\/p>\n
“The amount of work the drivers put in is depicted pretty well… traveling a lot, going to a lot of events, not many days off,” Crawford shares.<\/p>\n
Another thing that’s true about F1 drivers is how fit they are. Crawford showed this by finishing his first Aramco Houston Half Marathon in 1 hour and 43 minutes.<\/p>\n
“I was going for anything under two hours; it definitely exceeded my expectations,” Crawford said.<\/p>\n
Crawford’s job takes him to racetracks all over the world, and sometimes to surprising places like the streets of Houston. In October 2024, during a special Aramco event, Crawford told ABC13 he drove a Formula 1 car down a closed-off section of Memorial Drive and reached 160 miles per hour.<\/p>\n
“That was one of the coolest days,” Crawford remembers. “I had this high after everything happened for a week.”<\/p>\n
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