Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Audi has confirmed that Alpine reserve driver Paul Aron will replace Gabriel Bortoleto in first practice for this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, extending a run of Formula 1 outings that has kept the Estonian in view despite still lacking a full-time race seat.
The call-up comes after Aron’s standout FP1 showing in Barcelona earlier this month, when he stepped into Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi and finished the session sixth. He also lapped 0.9 seconds quicker than Bortoleto, a notable benchmark given the two drivers’ recent history and Aron’s limited opportunities at grand prix weekends.
That Barcelona appearance was Aron’s first practice outing of the 2026 season, but it was not his first time working with the team now racing as Audi. Last year, under Sauber’s previous identity, he was used in an unusual arrangement that allowed Alpine’s reserve driver to complete FP1 sessions for another operation. His first two appearances in that program came at Silverstone and Hungary, before he later represented Alpine in opening practice in Italy, Mexico and Abu Dhabi.
Those repeated outings have helped keep Aron’s name in the conversation, particularly because his junior record already suggested he was close to Formula 1 level. In 2024 he was part of the Formula 2 title fight and battled eventual champion Bortoleto through the season, strengthening the impression that he had the pace to merit a bigger opportunity.
The complication is that the opportunity still has not become a permanent one. Aron continues to build mileage in practice sessions and testing programs, yet remains on the outside of the race grid.
Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya argued that the issue is not talent. Speaking on his MontoyAS podcast, Montoya said, “Paul Aron, I think he is more suited to F1 than many of the drivers who are currently racing in F1.” He also pointed to the financial side of the market, adding: “The reason Paul Aron isn’t racing in F1 is because he can’t bring in 15 million dollars or 20 million dollars, or euros.”
Montoya’s comments sharpen the significance of another Audi session in Austria. Aron is not being used as a one-off stand-in after a quiet junior career. He is a driver with recent F2 pedigree, direct comparison points against current F1 racers, and now another chance to make his case in current machinery.
There is also a practical reason for Audi to keep turning to rookie appearances. Formula 1 rules require teams to field a rookie driver in four practice sessions across a season, with a rookie defined as someone who has started no more than two grands prix. After Hulkenberg and Bortoleto have each sat out once by the end of this weekend, both Audi race drivers will still need to hand over one more FP1 session across the remaining 14 race weekends.
That means Austria is more than another line on Aron’s résumé. It is another live audition in a car he already used effectively in Barcelona, and another reminder that while he still does not have a full-time seat, Formula 1 teams continue to find reasons to put him on track.