Felipe Drugovich lands Andretti Formula E seat as F1 dream fades

Felipe Drugovich has landed a full-time seat in Formula E for the upcoming campaign, having been announced as Jake Dennis' team-mate at Andretti. 

The Aston Martin reserve driver has failed to hold a full-time professional single-seater spot since becoming Formula 2 champion in 2022, but that has finally changed. 

Since winning the F2 title, Drugovich has sat on the sidelines at Aston Martin, making the occasional first practice appearance. 

When it comes to racing, the Brazilian has competed in various endurance races across WEC, IMSA and the European Le Mans Series. 

Drugovich has waited patiently to try and gain a seat in Formula 1, with RacingNews365 understanding that he held some talks with Cadillac prior to Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas being signed.

Alongside pushing for an F1 seat, the 25-year-old has flirted with Formula E since 2023, making several test appearances for Maserati. This summer, he even competed for Mahindra in the Berlin E-Prix, replacing WEC-tied Nyck de Vries. 

He settled into the action quickly and scored points in the second race of the weekend, following a seventh-place finish. It impressed Andretti, who have signed Drugovich to replace Porsche-bound Nico Müller.

“I’m so happy to announce that I’ll be joining Andretti Formula E, and I’m really excited about what’s ahead," said Drugovich. 

"My team and I have been in touch with Andretti ever since I won the Formula 2 title, so it’s great that we’ve managed to stay connected all this time and finally have the opportunity to work together. 

"It’s been far too long for me without racing, so I’m incredibly motivated to get back on a racetrack. It means a lot to know I’ll be competing in every session and not just serving as a reserve, as I have done the past few years. 

"I’m very thankful to the entire Andretti Global organisation for believing in my potential and for being so supportive. A special thanks also to Roger [Griffiths] for reaching out and making this happen. 

"I’m focused, motivated and excited for the future, and I know that Andretti has all the tools in place for me to achieve success. I’m confident this new chapter together will be a memorable one."

Andretti thank Aston Martin

Andretti team principal Roger Griffiths has thanked Aston Martin for allowing Drugovich to take the seat, given it will reduce his time spent with the F1 squad. 

It is a major signing for Andretti who have endured a Red Bull-like second seat curse in recent seasons, with André Lotterer, Norman Nato and Müller having all fallen considerably short of Dennis' results. 

Given Drugovich's track record, much will be expected of him against Dennis – the Season 9 world champion – but also as the series moves towards Gen4. 

"I am personally very excited to welcome Felipe to the Andretti Formula E team," said Roger Griffiths, Andretti team principal. 

"Felipe is a driver who has been on our radar for some time, and we have watched his progress throughout various Formula E test sessions with a great deal of interest. He’s a fast and intelligent driver who has already demonstrated he can quickly adapt to the demands of the Championship, as we saw during his debut in Berlin. 

"As we look at the re-development of the team under our new ownership structure, we see Felipe working alongside Jake as a hugely important part of both our present and our future in the series.

"We would also like to thank Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team for their support in allowing Felipe to fully commit to this exciting new chapter in Formula E with Andretti Global.”