Aston Martin Aramco development driver Jak Crawford reflects on completing a pulsating demo run at the wheel of the AMR22 on the streets of Houston to celebrate the launch of Generation 3 with our title partner Aramco, discusses F1's ever-growing popularity Stateside, and assesses the F2 championship picture with two rounds to go.

You're fresh from driving the AMR22 around Houston, a place you know well having grown up in Texas. Can you describe how that felt?

"As soon as I heard I was doing it I was super excited and I loved every minute.

"I was driving where I grew up with my friends and family watching on. I stayed in my own house and then woke up and drove an F1 car on the same day, it was surreal.

"I went through streets where I've had dinner with my parents or gone to a baseball game, and now for the rest of my life when I next go to different places in the city, I can say I've done some doughnuts outside in an F1 car.

"Very few people get to drive an F1 car and even fewer on the streets where they grew up as a kid. It was amazing.

"It was also great to be part of the launch of Generation 3 with Aramco, taking to the streets with a special livery on the AMR22 to mark the occasion and finishing the demo run in front of lots of excited young students in the Ion district. I think we put on a good show and have hopefully inspired a few engineers of the future."

This week, The I / AM Experience is coming to Austin and you're set to make an appearance. Can you tell us more about what's taking place downtown?

"The team is hosting I / AM members on Saturday of the race weekend on the rooftop of SKYBOX on 6th, which is on Austin's iconic 6th street.

"The experience will have simulators, great food and drink, live entertainment, and I'll be meeting some of our guests. I'm looking forward to it because our fans have such incredible passion for our team.

"I did an I / AM event in Miami earlier this season where I met fans who had the chance to spend time with us over the race weekend. It was great to chat to them and see how much interest they had in our sport."

F1's popularity in the US continues to grow. How has that impacted the support you've received as an American racing driver hoping to eventually break into the series?

"A few years ago there wouldn't have been much attention towards an American driver, but as F1's popularity in the States has surged and I've climbed the ladder towards F1, people here have recognised me a bit more and the support has really grown.

"It's cool to see Americans my age having an interest in the sport, and that includes the feeder series to F1. I have a lot of friends who can watch my races on TV in the US now. I remember when I was starting to follow F1 I could only find the races on TV, never Free Practice or Qualifying, but now you can watch every F1 session and our F2 races too. It's the same as in other sports where the top league gets popular and then fans want to learn about the upcoming names in the divisions below."

There are two rounds left in the F2 campaign, taking place in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, and you're still in title contention. What's your take on that battle?

"I felt Monza and Baku weren't great rounds for us in all truth. On paper we knew we would struggle given our car setup philosophy, so we knew we had a lot of work to do. We still came away with some good points and a podium in the Sprint Race in Baku, though. Race wins are obviously the goal but it's always important to pick up points when you might not be expecting to.

"Things are tightening up and with two more rounds to go there are still opportunities. Of course, mathematically I could still win the championship if I have some really strong results but speaking realistically, I'm aiming to finish inside the top three. I would love to achieve that. Qatar and Abu Dhabi are tracks that should suit our car and my driving style so I'm looking forward to getting there and seeing what we can do."

What's on your schedule with Aston Martin Aramco in the coming months?

"I've been in the simulator at the AMR Technology Campus a lot since my last F2 round in Baku, and that'll be the case up to the Las Vegas Grand Prix. It's proving hugely beneficial as I continue my development as a driver.

"I'm excited to be spending this weekend with the team in Austin and continuing to learn how they operate over a race weekend, and I'll be doing the same in Las Vegas in November, which will be a spectacular event to be at."