Aston Martin F1 team surprises kids at Glasgow Children's Hospital with race car visit

Young patients at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow were overjoyed on Monday when an Aston Martin Formula 1 driver popped by for a visit and brought along a race car.

Jak Crawford, who is on Aston Martin's development team and currently races on the F2 circuit, made a pit stop at the hospital on Monday, November 11, as part of the Make A Mark tour of the UK.

The programme includes a variety of events that aim to inspire and educate the next generation about STEM careers in motorsport and related industries.

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In a bid to cheer up the young patients, the 19-year-old handed out some exciting merchandise to the kids and gave them a tour of the team's current F1 car, the AMR24, which can race around the track at speeds of more than 220mph.

During his visit, the American racing driver spent time on the wards, meeting the families. He also received some colourful F1 helmet designs, created by youngsters Phoebe, Cooper and Jack.

Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity - which provides equipment, play activities, and support services for children and their families - shared images from Jak's incredible visit on social media. They offered a "huge thanks" to their "wheely exciting" visitors.

One snap shows Jak and little Noah, 4 with a huge smile on his face as he races his Mario Kart toys against a professional racing driver. Another photo shared online shows a beaming Lucy, 5 standing with Jak in front of the dazzling AMR24.

Aston Martin also posted pictures on their Facebook page and shared a link, encouraging people to donate to the charity. In the comments, the charity wrote: "We are so grateful that Jak and the team came to visit our young patients today, and thank you so much for bringing your incredible replica car to the children’s hospital".

Jak Crawford, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team Young Development Driver, said: "It was a privilege to visit Glasgow Children’s Hospital yesterday, as part of Aston Martin Aramco's Make a Mark initiative.

"Meeting young patients and their families, showing them our AMR24 replica car and helping put smiles on their faces felt really special and I hope we had as much of a lasting impact on the children as they did for us - their positive attitudes will last with me for a long time.

"Thank you to Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity for helping to facilitate this visit, and to the NHS staff for all the work they do to care for the patients, you are a real inspiration."

While part of Aston Martin's development programme, Jak is currently in the UK as the Reserve and Development Driver for the Andretti Formula E team. Crawford will work at the Andretti Formula E headquarters in Banbury to develop the team's GEN3 Evo. He will also attend select race events and contribute to simulator development and setup testing.

Kirsten Watson, CEO, of Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity, said: "On behalf of Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Aston Martin and Jak Crawford for bringing such joy to our young patients during their special visit.

"Meeting Jak, seeing the incredible AMR24 up close, and designing their own helmets has been an unforgettable experience and a welcome distraction from their time in hospital.

"We are deeply grateful for Aston Martin's kindness and for the amazing gifts that mean so much to our young patients and their families. Thank you for making a difference!"

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