Who is Felipe Drugovich? Fernando Alonso replacement at F1 Hungarian Grand Prix
After almost three years of waiting, this could be the weekend that Felipe Drugovich finally lives his childhood dream. He is in line to potentially make his competitive debut at the Hungarian Grand Prix in the place of the injured Fernando Alonso.
The Spaniard made the journey to Budapest and completed his media day duties as normal on Thursday. But, on Friday morning, Aston Martin confirmed their veteran driver, who turned 44 earlier this week, would not take part in the first practice session of the weekend.
"In the days following the Belgian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso has been managing a muscular injury in his back," a team statement read. "As he continues with treatment this morning, he has chosen to sit out of FP1. Felipe Drugovich will drive in FP1 alongside Lance Stroll."
It has not yet been decided whether Alonso will get back in the car at any point this weekend. As is often the case when a drivers' participation is in doubt, the team will wait for as long as possible before making any final decision.
But if Alonso's condition does not improve, then Drugovich is set to make his long-awaited bow in Formula 1 racing. It is the opportunity the Brazilian driver, 25, has been waiting for ever since winning the Formula 2 title back in 2022, only to fail to make the leap into the top category.
He signed with Aston Martin as the first member of their newly-formed driver academy in the days after his F2 success was confirmed. He immediately became a reserve driver for their F1 team and has made several practice and testing outings in that role, but has been stuck frustratingly on the sidelines in terms of racing.
Drugovich spent the entirety of 2023 on the sidelines but the following year chose to pair his reserve driver responsibilities with a switch to endurance racing. He finished 15th in his one and only season in the European Le Mans Series, having scored one podium at the Four Hours of Imola.
He also made his debut in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race that year, finishing 15th in the Hypercar class with Whelen Cadillac Racing. He again represented the team in the 2025 edition of the race, sharing a car with Brit Jack Aitken and Mercedes F1 reserve Frederik Vesti, but retired after 247 laps because of an engine issue.
Drugovich has also tested in IndyCar and the all-electric Formula E series as he keeps his single-seater racing options open. He raced in FE at the Berlin ePrix last month, called up by Mahindra Racing to fill in for the absent Nyck de Vries and finished his first race way down in 17th place after picking up a drive-through penalty. But things improved in the second event of the double-header as he climbed 12 places to finish seventh and score points.
He was born in Brazil and races under the flag of his homeland, but also holds Italian citizenship. He shares little about his personal life in public, but is regularly tagged in posts on Instagram by his girlfriend Carla Sirotti, who is in Hungary with him this weekend and could get to witness his F1 racing debut in person if Alonso fails to recover.
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