Felipe Drugovich's now-announced deal with the Andretti Formula E team looks great for both parties - but it also feels like an unofficial admission that his Formula 1 quest is all but over after three wait-and-see years following his Formula 2 title.
In the time since, which he'd spent as Aston Martin's F1 reserve, Drugovich did complete most of a European Le Mans Series campaign and ran hyper-prestigious endurance races for Cadillac.
But those schedules were much more limited, and it is known Drugovich had been close to this exact opportunity before already but didn't take it up, thought to be prioritising his F1 work.
The move to Andretti does provide some natural F1 synergy now that parent company TWG is preparing for its grand prix debut with Cadillac, but Cadillac already has two veteran drivers on multi-year deals and Colton Herta pursuing a superlicence as next-in-line.
So, as far as the chances of Drugovich being on the F1 grid go, never say never, but this feels like it.
And it's a shame if so, because by and large recent F1 history has shown that teams that take a chance on rookies do not regret it - and with Drugovich there is no data to suggest he would buck that trend.
Winning F2 in his third year meant convincing an F1 team was always going to be an uphill battle - that second year in F2, eighth place with no wins, sticks out and not in a good way - but the title itself was won emphatically.
Aston Martin was never the most promising of reserve gigs in terms of promotion opportunities - Lance Stroll isn't going anywhere, and Fernando Alonso, had he chosen to retire, would surely be replaced by another heavy-hitter - but whenever Drugovich has popped up in the green car in an FP1 session, it's sure looked like he's done well.
Drugovich's FP1s versus team-mate
Abu Dhabi 2022 - 1.4s behind Vettel
Italy 2023 - 0.93s behind Alonso
Abu Dhabi 2023 - 0.27s ahead of Stroll
Mexico 2024 - 0.22s behind Stroll
Abu Dhabi 2024 - 0.03s ahead of Alonso
Bahrain 2025 - 0.08s behind Stroll
Hungary 2025 - 0.31s behind Stroll
The usual caveats about run plans and the FP1 session's general irrelevance in the grand competitive picture of the weekend apply, but these are full-time driver laptimes.
In these three seasons there have been several occasions, too, where he was close to making his grand prix debut due to various ailments afflicting Alonso and Stroll. That can be a game changer - as it was for Nyck de Vries - or can bring no further opportunities - as it did for Jack Aitken - but, in any case, Drugovich didn't get the chance.
This year, Gabriel Bortoleto has been exceptional for Sauber. Isack Hadjar has been so good for Racing Bulls that he's about to earn a Red Bull promotion despite how the recent Red Bull promotions worked out. Franco Colapinto, shaky after being brought on mid-season, is now close to his more experienced Alpine team-mate more often than not. Ollie Bearman is the quicker Haas driver more often than not.
There is little evidence, pre-F1 or from F1 practice, that Drugovich would've definitely been a worse bet than Bortoleto, than Hadjar, than Colapinto, than Bearman (whose second F2 season was worse than Drugovich's).
That's not to say some injustice has been committed. It's just part of the game in F1 - sometimes timing isn't right, sometimes it's a game of margins. Not every driver who has a case will make it onto the grid, and then you'd rather they got to express their talents elsewhere.
"There were quite a few opportunities to drive for very good teams in other categories,” Drugovich told The Race a year ago.
"But I just didn't feel like [the time was right]. I could do that in a year's time, but I wouldn't have another opportunity to wait for F1."
A year's time has come, and the waiting indeed steps aside for the racing. It should be bittersweet - but it should be more sweet than bitter.
