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Photo: Alpine
The Alpine Formula 1 team will use its reserve driver Paul Aron in a practice session for a second time this year at this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix.
Aron will replace Pierre Gasly in FP1, and is contending to become the Frenchman’s team-mate in 2026.
His Mexico outing is the second of four scheduled practice appearances with Alpine, having already made two with Sauber.
“I’m looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the A525 for my latest free practice one session with the team,” said Aron, whose first call-up with Alpine was at the Italian Grand Prix where he replaced Franco Colapinto.
“I enjoyed the experience in Monza a lot and found it incredibly useful for my own personal development as a driver and my understanding of the car. I’m ready to build on that this weekend in Mexico City in Pierre’s car.
“The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is a very different track to any I have driven. It is high altitude which will make the handling of the car and the setup we choose very different to most other circuits and I’m looking forward to that challenge. I’m very grateful to the team for granting me this further opportunity and will do whatever is needed to help them set up a competitive weekend.”
When Aron drove at Monza, having already done six says of private testing in Alpine’s 2023 car during the first half of the year, it was yet to be confirmed that Colapinto would see out the season.
He had started 2025 in the four-strong reserve driver roster, before swapping places with the team’s rookie Jack Doohan after six rounds. That was a five-round arrangement, then Colapinto stayed in the seat on a race-by-race basis until after Monza when Alpine handed it to him through to the end of the season.
Colapinto already has an Alpine contract for 2026, but with no role specified, and he is up against Aron and Doohan to race for the team again. Doohan had a best finish of 13th during his time racing for Alpine, and Aron has experience competing in top-tier single-seaters after contesting Formula E’s Berlin E-Prix double-header with Envision Racing last year.
Formula 2 race-winner and Alpine junior Kush Maini left his role as FE team Mahindra’s reserve driver to take up the same position with Alpine for 2025, but having failed to secure an FIA superlicence in his third F2 campaign he is not in contention for an F1 promotion and will instead return to his former role at Mahindra next year.