Felipe Drugovich not thinking about Cadillac chances amidst Perez report

Linked to the second Cadillac seat, Felipe Drugovich says he’s just trying to do the best he can and not think about it, and hopefully it will work out in his favour.

As Cadillac whittles down its short list for F1 2026, Drugovich was handed the perfect opportunity to put himself in the shop window when he replaced Fernando Alonso in the opening practice in Hungary.

Could Felipe Drugovich finally race in F1 next season?

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

The Spaniard withdrew from the session due to a back injury, with Drugovich climbing into the AMR25 in FP1.

He finished 16th fastest, only three-tenths down on his Aston Martin team-mate.

But the Brazilian, who has been away from single-seater racing since winning the Formula 2 title in 2022, didn’t see his outing as audition for Cadillac, rather he just wanted to do the best job possible for Aston Martin.

Asked about the timing given his links to Cadillac, he replied: “I really don’t know. I’m trying to do the best I can on track, and then hopefully that translates into a seat next year.

“But at the same time, I can’t really think about that when I’m driving.

“So all I did was just try to do the work for the team and try to make them happy, and hopefully that one day gives me a seat in Formula 1.”

Drugovich is reportedly one of the favourites to partner Sergio Perez at Cadillac next season.

More on Cadillac’s F1 driver short-list

? Cadillac F1 driver shortlist, uncovered: Who’s most likely to sign a contract?

? The silly season storylines to watch out for in F1’s summer break

Although the former Red Bull driver has just to officially put pen to paper on a deal with F1’s new 11th team, multiple sources have told PlanetF1.com that he has reached an agreement with Cadillac that will see him return to the grid, with an announcement expected in the weekend of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Drugovich did recently talk himself up as the perfect candidate for Cadillac in an interview with UOL.

Asked what he would bring to a Formula 1 team, he replied: “I think I’m the best driver, the best third driver there is at the moment, with the most kilometers driven, the Formula 2 championship, victories, and experience in other categories as well.

“I think I’m the only guy who’s never crashed a Formula 1 car, the only one I’ve raced in Formula 2 who’s never crashed a Formula 2 car. I know categories that will influence next year’s experience as well.

“Next year will be very much about the engine, about battery and energy savings, and that’s basically all the experience I have from Hypercar and Formula E as well.

“I’m the only driver in the paddock here to have driven on the 2026 tires, and I’ll be driving again now [ahead of another Pirelli tyre test].”

Drugovich’s team-mate Alonso has backed the 25-year-old to secure a race-seat after three years on the sidelines with Aston Martin.

“It would be great to see him in F1,” Alonso told media, including PlanetF1.com

“He has an incredible talent, Formula 2 was a demonstration.

“We can see it here every day when we work with him. The simulator work, some of the free practices that he has.

“He has been always delivering the performance that the team was asking, even with very limited kilometres.

“It would be interesting to see him in a full-time drive and I hope it happens.”

The Brazilian has already forged connections with Cadillac, racing for Cadillac Whelen in IMSA SportsCar Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Read next: Major Isack Hadjar future hint as Red Bull F1 2026 timeline revealed