Only a handful of Americans are pursuing a dream to compete in Formula 1, but there is only one currently signed to the prestigious Red Bull Junior Team development program.

Enter Jak Crawford.

The 14-year-old from Houston signed with Red Bull in January and will drive for Dutch outfit Van Amersfoort Racing in both German and Italian Formula 4 for 2020.

He finished seventh in the 2019 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, the first rung of the IndyCar ladder system. More impressively, that result came after not competing in the opening two races of the season due to age restrictions.

However, it was his performance throughout karting in Formula 4 NACAM in 2018-19, where he collected six wins and 14 podiums in 20 races en route to second in the championship, that drew the attention of Helmut Marko, advisor to Red Bull Racing and head of its driver development program.



Jak Crawford Racing

"We constantly watch driver development worldwide and took notice of his karting successes and his transition to open-wheel racing, his successes in the NACAM Formula 4 Championship," Marko told Autoweek.

While Marko admitted the United States is "an important region for developing talents," the signing of Crawford is not part of a bigger effort to look toward the county for its driver pool. Crawford, he said, just met the right criteria

"We are always looking for the same qualities," Marko said. "The combination of natural talent with the determination to succeed and the intelligence to make the best use of his personal attributes as well as those of the team around him in all situations."

Crawford is undoubtedly being put in the best position to succeed, joining a team in Van Amersfoort that won the Italian F4 Championship with Dennis Hauger, and also finished runner-up for the title in German F4.

Additionally, though, that means the pressure to perform has never been higher.

"All our Junior Team drivers have one aim and that is success in F1," Marko said. "That is extremely demanding. So to progress, drivers have to be exceptional. We take into account their experience, the level of competition and other factors, but they have to show that they are exceptional."

Mark Thompson Getty Images

The journey to this point has been interesting for Crawford, who was also courted by Ferrari to join their Young Driver Academy at one point.

"It is crazy to me how I have these amazing opportunities," Crawford told Autoweek. "We first visited with Ferrari in Maranello when I was 12 and I thought I was going to be there in 2020, then Red Bull called us. I am really happy to be with the Red Bull junior program and they have placed me in a great situation."

Crawford recalls his first moments interacting with Red Bull.

"First, I had to go meet Dr. Marko," Crawford said. "Then a week later I had to do a test on the Red Bull simulator in Milton Keynes (England), then another simulator test at VAR, then two days on track at Red Bull Ring with Van Amersfoort Racing. For those last two days, we were busy because the track was changing a lot due to rain, then drying, then rain, then drying, then dry. The test went very well and I love the Red Bull Ring."

While the attention is flattering for Crawford, he isn’t conceding anything just yet.

"I still have a lot to prove," Crawford said. "I am very hard on myself and I am always determined to get better each time I go on track. I will make the most of my opportunity and if I do it will lead to bigger and better things."



Crawford is set to run a combined 42 races this year between both European campaigns, which is expected to start April 24-26 at Oschersleben, Germany. Additionally, he will be competing alongside some of the future’s biggest and brightest, including Sebastian Montoya, son of former F1 driver and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya.

Although there are several marquee tracks throughout both calendars, the one he is most eager looking forward to is Monza, which takes place May 15-17.

"I feel most excited for Monza and it is my first race in Italy F4," Crawford said. "Monza has hard, deep braking zones I am best at hard braking zones, so I hope my experience on the brakes will translate well in Monza."

There is something to be said for the versatility Crawford has gained in such a short amount of time. Many aspiring to go to Formula 1 develop skills in karting and in junior formula cars, and Crawford is no exception, but he also spent time driving, and winning, in Legends cars.



Jak Crawford Racing

An American hasn’t been on the Formula 1 grid since Alexander Rossi, who ran five races in 2015, and a full-time pilot hasn’t been in the sport since Scott Speed with Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) in 2006-07. Additionally, the last victory for an American was in the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix and it was by none other than Mario Andretti.

Joining that exclusive club is everything Crawford hopes to achieve.

"It would mean so much to me just to be in an F1 car," Crawford said. "There is lots of talent in America but not many Americans get recognized for F1. It would be amazing if I could get into F1 and go to the United States Grand Prix (at Circuit of The Americas) and race in front of my home crowd in Texas."

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