It has just been announced that Paul Aron is moving from Alpine to Sauber on a loan deal. The rookie will make his FP1 debut with the Swiss team at Silverstone. So let’s discover everything you need to know about the Estonian F1 prospect.
Who is Paul Aron?
Paul Aron was born on February 4, 2004, in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The driver started karting at the age of just 8. During this time, he participated in competitions across Europe. In 2018, he won the WSK Champions Cup, South Garda Winter Cup and the FIA European Karting Championship, in the OKJ category.
After this, he got the opportunity to drive in the Italian F4 championship with Prema in 2019. He was also signed by into the Mercedes junior academy that year.
Aron then competed in several open-wheel single seater championships from 2020 to 2022. Rising quickly through the ranks, he was signed by Prema for their F3 outfit in 2023. He finished third in the championship behind Gabriel Bortoleto and Zak O’Sullivan. In November 2023, Aron left the Mercedes junior program.
This strong showing earned him a promotion into F2 in 2024. Now with Hitech, the Estonian finished third again, once again behind Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar. Now, he will be driving alongside Bortoleto in the Sauber during FP1 at Silverstone and the Hungarian GP.
Aron also filled in for Sebastien Buemi at Envision Racing, marking his Formula E debut in 2024. Buemi had stepped away to race at the 6 Hours of Spa for Toyota Gazoo Racing, and Aron filled in for two races.
After his F2 campaign in 2024, Aron was signed as Alpine’s reserve driver for the 2025 F1 season. He also drove an F1 car for the first time driving for Alpine in the 2024 post-season test at Abu Dhabi.
Aron will make his F1 weekend debut at Silverstone
Paul Aron has been signed by Sauber on loan from Alpine for the FP1 session at the upcoming British GP. The reserve driver will step into Nico Hulkenberg’s car at Silverstone.
The 21-year-old will also be driving during the FP1 session at the Hungaroring during round 14 of the ongoing F1 season. Sauber announced this move via a press release.
“Estonia’s Paul Aron will be making his Free Practice debut with Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber at the upcoming British Grand Prix, with a further FP1 appearance planned for the Hungarian Grand Prix later this summer, following an agreement with BWT Alpine Formula One Team for his driving services.”
In 2025, F1 teams need to field at least two rookies in each of their cars during free practice sessions. Aron stepping into Hulkenberg’s C45 at both Silverstone and Budapest will count towards this. Since their other driver, Borotoleto, is already a rookie, the quota on his car was already fulfilled during the FP1 sessions in Australia and China.
