How Aitken's fortunes turned around for his shock F1 chance

Not since the 2001 Italian Grand Prix have two drivers made their mid-season Formula 1 debuts at the same race, but that record will end in Bahrain on Sunday.

Pietro Fittipaldi and Jack Aitken are two drivers who seemed far off an F1 shot just four days ago. Yet both will line up on the grid for the Sakhir Grand Prix, acting as the latest curveball in a memorable and undeniably unique 2020 season.

In Aitken's case, his opportunity with Williams comes at the end of a difficult year that has rarely offered a true reflection of his abilities, marking a dramatic turnaround in his fortunes.

Lewis Hamilton's positive test for COVID-19 set the wheels in motion for George Russell to step in as his replacement at Mercedes for the weekend, paving the way for Williams reserve Aitken to step in. Instead of seeing out a disappointing and challenging third season in F2 with Campos as expected in Bahrain, he'll get a chance to shine on the biggest platform with Williams.

Aitken linked up with the Grove team at the start of the year to take up a reserve role after leaving Renault's junior academy. It was a move aimed at improving his chances of a future F1 seat, particularly with Russell being linked with a promotion to Mercedes for 2021. By embedding with the team nice and early, it made it possible for Aitken to try and be first in line should a seat have become available for next year.

PLUS: The risk and reward of Russell's Mercedes opportunity

But as Mercedes moved to retain Bottas, and with Russell staying at Williams to see out his contract to the end of 2021, the door looked shut for Aitken.

"It was a bit disappointing, to be honest," Aitken told Autosport in an interview a few weeks ago.

"I think we were in a really strong position if George left. We'd already had talks with Williams about that scenario. We would have been a very, very strong candidate for that seat for next year, because they were very happy with what I'd done in Austria in FP1, they're happy with what I'm doing in the sim.

"Obviously that didn't happen. George and Nicky [Latifi] are staying on for another year. So it was a little bit disappointing for me."

The disappointment of having no opening at Williams would have been softened by a strong season in F2. Aitken entered his third campaign in the series tipped as a possible title contender, and was the highest-placed driver from 2019 to remain in the category.

"I've done a lot of work with the guys and girls on the sim, and we've tried to have me be involved in as much as possible on the race weekends, given the whole COVID situation" Jack Aitken

But after punching well above his weight to take fifth in the standings with Campos last year, Aitken come back down to earth with a bump in 2020. The exit of his race engineer, Jan Sumann, on the eve of the season dealt a big blow to Aitken's hopes for the season ahead, with such relationships being crucial in a spec-series such as F2.

"It was more the timing of it, and how it unfolded which was unfortunate," Aitken said of Sumann's exit. "We thought we had everything settled for the season going into pre-season testing in late February. We got the news, and we had to work very quickly to find a way to restructure the team, because it's pretty obvious the chief engineer is always going to be a difficult position to fill at quite short notice when everybody is contracted to teams already.

"It wasn't ideal, and I think it contributed [to the difficult season]. The other factors were the new 18-inch tyres. I think Campos do a really good job with the resources that they've got, but we haven't got the same level of some of the bigger teams. It all came together to make the first few races very, very challenging."

Aitken recorded a best feature race result of ninth across the opening four rounds, but appeared to turn a corner in the second Silverstone event supporting the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix as he scored a brace of third-place finishes. But the momentum proved short-lived, as he picked up points in just one of the next eight races.

"It's not been too bad just because when you accept the situation that you're in, all you can do is drive, and try and get the most out of it," he said. "If that's a podium, then great, if it's points, great, if it's no points, then you still have to be kind of OK with that.

"Some parts of the season, we've been able to get a bit of momentum, around Silverstone, and then equally we go to the next race and it all gets dashed and we're back to square one really. That's been quite hard to maintain that consistency and motivation for everybody."

A saving grace for Aitken through 2020 was his work with Williams. His appearance in opening practice for the Styrian Grand Prix saw him carry the team's programme after an issue ended Latifi's session with just five laps on the board, leaving Williams impressed. Aitken has been working closely with the team on race weekends, completing duties at the track when on-site for F2 as well as running in the simulator back at Grove to support the race drivers.

"They've been extremely welcoming as a team since I came in at the start of the year," said Aitken. "I've done a lot of work with the guys and girls on the sim, and we've tried to have me be involved in as much as possible on the race weekends, given the whole COVID situation.

"I'm really, really comfortable with the team. They couldn't have been more helpful and encouraging for the FP1. It went really well, so it's been a really good experience this year."

It is that kind of work that would have proved crucial in the decision to put Aitken in the car for at least the Sakhir race weekend. Although he may not bring the grand prix experience that the likes of Nico Hulkenberg or Stoffel Vandoorne may have offered, the way he has embedded himself within the team made him a natural fit to take over the cockpit from Russell.

Jumping in to a grand prix weekend at short notice is no easy feat, but Aitken is ready for the opportunity. It will be a chance to make up for some of the disappointment he has faced in F2 this year, and while he'll likely be scrapping with Latifi, the Haas drivers and the Alfa Romeos at best, it can still be a chance to prove his abilities.

It will also be a way to put Aitken firmly on the radar for future programmes in 2021 and beyond. At the time of our interview, Aitken said he was "keeping quite an open mind" for next year.

"I'm going to take the approach that whatever I'm going to do, whatever I'm going to race, I want to be able to do it 100% to be able to fight for a championship and fight for wins, and to be the best that I can be," Aitken said.

Although Aitken may not bring the grand prix experience that the likes of Hulkenberg or Vandoorne may have offered, the way he has embedded himself within the team made him a natural fit to take over from Russell

"That's not always possible, but that's what I want to aim for, in whatever series it is. That's really the priority rather than aiming at one particular series. It's more finding a seat that's competitive and will allow me to really challenge for success in that series."

Aitken has already been talking to Williams' new owners, Dorilton Capital, about future plans.

"I've met some of the directors and we've had initial chats, just to get to know each other, which has been really positive," he said. "I'm sure we'll have more chats moving forward for next year as well."

As Russell gears up for his shot with Mercedes and audition for a future race seat, the same can be said of Aitken. He may have felt disappointed to learn Russell wouldn't be moving up earlier this year, but his surprise Sakhir call-up offers a golden chance to toss his hat into the ring for 2022.

The driver shake-up at the end of this season may be temporary, but it could end up having a big say in what the grid looks like - at both the front and the back - in years to come.