From Overlooked to Reserve: Aron Earns Alpine Opportunity

Paul Aron, once overlooked by Formula 1, finds redemption as Alpine signs him, with Oakes praising his reserve driver potential.

Paul Aron feared he might not get an opportunity within a Formula 1 team, despite leading the F2 championship early in the season and feeling he was performing well as a rookie. Ultimately, he was signed by Alpine F1 as a third driver, a role he will share with Franco Colapinto and Ryo Hirakawa.

“After Monaco, I was leading the championship as a rookie, with the most podiums by far. And I wasn’t getting much attention. I felt a bit overlooked,” Aron told The Race.

“And then there were guys like Bearman and Antonelli, who were quite a bit behind me in the championship but obviously getting all the attention. At the same time, it was understandable.”

“It didn’t really bother me. I wouldn’t say I was relieved to get this opportunity with Alpine. It was more a feeling of happiness. It’s what I worked for and what I wanted.”

His recruitment by Oliver Oakes, Alpine’s director and founder of Hitech, the team Aron raced with in F3, isn’t an example of sports nepotism, he insists: “I know how it might look from the outside. And I’ve been part of those kinds of discussions before, like when I was racing in Formula Regional.”

In 2021, he was indeed under the management of his brother Ralf, who didn’t make things easy for him: “The truth is, it was the hardest year of my life. It was difficult to separate the fact that he was my team principal and also my brother. Alpine is a large organization. There are a lot of powerful people here. I think it was a collective decision.”

“And if you have a rookie driver who secured the most podiums, the most poles, was on average the fastest in qualifying, and led the championship for a large part of the season, I think it’s fair that this person gets attention from Formula 1.”

“The goal is always to have a connection with Formula 1. And even if it’s not a race seat, it’s a step in the right direction. In that sense, I’m very happy and very grateful. Obviously, my goal is to reach Formula 1, and you never get there alone. You need good people around you; you need a strong team.”

Oakes believes Aron’s F2 season was the second-best on the grid, after Gabriel Bortoleto’s: “I think he and Bortoleto were the standout performers of the field. I feel a bit sorry for him due to some mistakes, both on his part and the team’s.”

“But he was brilliant, and I think he showed tremendous mental strength after being dropped by Mercedes, enduring all that this year, and still fighting for the championship throughout the season. He’s truly a special talent.”

With the arrival of three third drivers, including Colapinto, who seems poised to sacrifice Jack Doohan on the altar of short-term management, Victor Martins’ position, as the team’s former third driver, has significantly weakened, and Oakes’ response regarding him offers little reassurance.

“Victor is good; I’ve known him for a long time. I don’t want to comment too much on his F2 season because before I joined here, I was with another team [Hitech], and it wouldn’t be fair to judge his situation. But Victor is a big part of our academy here.”