Alpine driver to make maiden F1 weekend appearance at Sauber

Henry Valantine 30 Jun 2025 12:34 PM

Paul Aron could be set for an FP1 debut, though not at current team Alpine.

Alpine reserve driver Paul Aron will make his Formula 1 free practice debut at the British Grand Prix, doing so for Sauber.

Aron is among Alpine’s reserve driver pool in the F1 2025 season, and news has now been confirmed that the Estonian will be taking part in FP1 sessions at Silverstone and the Hungaroring.

Paul Aron to make FP1 debut with Sauber loan agreed

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Aron made the step up to Alpine reserve after finishing third in the Formula 2 standings last season, with the former Mercedes junior taking feature race victory in Qatar and four pole positions on his way to his championship placing.

The 21-year-old is among Alpine’s standby drivers on a Grand Prix weekend, with Jack Doohan acting as first-choice reserve after being moved from his race seat for Franco Colapinto earlier this season.

This move will mark an opportunity for the Estonian to make his mark on a Grand Prix weekend, having taken part at last season’s young driver test for Alpine in Abu Dhabi in December.

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He will fulfil two of Sauber’s four mandatory rookie participations in an FP1 session this season, taking over from Nico Hulkenberg on both occasions, with the other two rookie outings having already been run by Gabriel Bortoleto at the start of the campaign.

Alpine also confirmed he would run in the three remaining rookie sessions for them this season, with the races to be confirmed in due course.

Aron said: “I am very pleased to be given the opportunity to have valuable track time in Formula 1, so thanks to BWT Alpine Formula One Team for coming to this arrangement.

“It is no secret that my desire is to one day race full-time in Formula 1 so any chance to be on track in a competitive environment is an important stepping stone.

“While I continue to focus on my development with Alpine, I do look forward to the two sessions with Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber and giving my maximum effort to them at Silverstone and Budapest.”

Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore added: “It is in our interests to maximise any driving opportunities for our young talent, so it is good to have an agreement with Sauber for Paul to drive in Free Practice 1 in Silverstone and Budapest.

“We are seeing varied success from last year’s Formula 2 drivers this year up and down the grid, and Paul was a front runner in that category, so this is an opportunity for him and the team to continue his progress and to give him valuable track time.”

Elsewhere, Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko said their junior driver, Arvid Lindblad, is set to make his own FP1 debut at his home race this weekend.

The 17-year-old was awarded an FIA Super Licence exemption to earn the accolade before his 18th birthday, which will enable him to drive Formula 1 machinery ahead of time.

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