Alpine has reached an agreement with Kick Sauber to loan them their reserve driver, Paul Aron. This way, the Estonian will participate in the first free practice sessions (FP1) at Silverstone and Budapest with the Swiss team, and Franco Colapinto will temporarily face less internal pressure regarding a possible driver change.
Sauber, which this year doesn't have an official reserve driver, is required to include a rookie in two of the four FP1 sessions mandated by the regulations for the 2025 season. For this reason, the future Audi structure signed with Alpine so that Aron, former F2 driver and part of their reserve roster, fulfills that role.
The 21-year-old driver will get into the C45 next weekend at Silverstone, replacing Nico Hulkenberg, and will then return to his duties as Alpine's reserve for the remainder of the Grand Prix. He will also be on track in Free Practice 1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the last event before the summer break.
The other two rookie spots at Sauber have already gone to Gabriel Bortoleto, who recently scored his first points with an eighth-place finish in Austria.
"I'm very happy to have the opportunity to get valuable track time in Formula 1, so thanks to the Alpine team for reaching this agreement," said Aron.
