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Jak Crawford’s preparations for the 2025 Formula 2 season are well underway as the DAMS Lucas Oil driver gets set for his third campaign in the Championship.
After also spending two years in Formula 3, the American has come a long way and before he gets going for the 2025 campaign, we sat down with him to reflect on his growth over the last few seasons.
“It's been a fun journey so far. I remember I started F3, my first race was only one or two weeks after my 16th birthday which is the age requirement to race in F3, so I was only barely allowed to race in F3. I was super young. I remember my first race in F3 was in Barcelona, it didn't go too well to be honest but I've definitely grown up a lot.
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“It was very daunting. I was 16, I had come straight from F4 and from karting the year before that, so I didn't have a lot of experience.
“I was fast, but I was very raw. I was very inexperienced, definitely making a lot of mistakes at that age, there was definitely a lot of mistakes but at the same time I had good speed sometimes.
“I think already in my rookie year there were times where I showed good pace, but the season was very short. There were only seven rounds that year, so I felt that I started to come on at the end of the year, but didn't have quite enough time to get the results.
“Joining PREMA the next year, they had a great history of putting drivers through. Definitely at the beginning of the season, the first half of the year I was able to put together some good results and I was in the hunt for the title.
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“I feel like mainly I was more experienced but my overall driving and understanding of the car improved a lot. Everything just came a bit more naturally I think, that was the main difference from year one to two.
“The first year of F2 was a tough season. I feel like we weren't too competitive, both me and Isack Hadjar struggled with the car at times. But it was great to be teammates with Isack who was quite competitive in F3, and we were able to really push each other, and I think that helped me improve as a driver.
“It was a good year I would say. I mean the results weren't really there, but I really had some great performances at times. Overall, I feel like I became a much more complete driver in 2023 than in any other year.
“I feel I started to mature as a person a bit more, understand more what was needed from me to perform at my highest level and I was able to perform quite well week in and week out.
“Obviously, there is more to it because this year I am doing better but I would say last year was the biggest jump for me year to year.
“A lot of it is experience, DAMS as well have really helped me and supported me on that side of setting up a car. They want to help me learn, the team have done a great job helping me learn the setup. I think in general it's a bit more experience and knowledge.
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“I would say my overall ability to perform under high pressure has improved the most from year one to two in F2.
"I feel especially when I was younger, I would feel a bit more nervous I would say but now it doesn't faze me, it's something I am used to, it's something I prepare for, so I think that's the biggest thing.
“For sure it's down to time but also a bit of mental training. I remember in Formula 4, you keep pushing in Qualifying, you have 15 minutes of Qualifying and it's just pushing, and I remember arriving in Barcelona for the first race and you have two sets of tyres for Qualifying and you have one push lap on each.
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“You have to do the job on one of those two laps, it's quite challenging as well with limited testing, it's quite tricky to really get to that level, especially at such a young age.
“For 2025, I want to improve my overall consistency. I don't know how yet, if I did it would have already been better but of course that's the main place. I definitely want to contend for a title this year.”