The Audi F1 team has confirmed that Alpine reserve Paul Aron will drive Gabriel Bortoleto\u2019s car in FP1 at this weekend\u2019s Austrian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
Aron, a former Mercedes junior, joined Alpine as the team\u2019s reserve driver ahead of the 2025 season.<\/p>\n
Paul Aron to make latest Audi F1 outing in Austrian Grand Prix FP1<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n The Estonian found himself at the centre of an unusual loan agreement last year, which saw Sauber \u2013 now competing as Audi \u2013 field Aron in a number of practice sessions.<\/p>\n Aron made his first two FP1 appearances in Britain and Hungary last summer before representing Alpine in opening practice in Italy, Mexico and Abu Dhabi later in the season.<\/p>\n He made his first practice outing of the F1 2026 season in Barcelona earlier this month, deputising for Bortoleto\u2019s teammate Nico Hulkenberg.<\/p>\n Aron was classified sixth in FP1 in Spain, lapping 0.9 seconds faster than Bortoleto.<\/p>\n Gabriel Bortoleto vs Nico Hulkenberg: Audi F1 head-to-head stats for F1 2026 season<\/p>\n F1 2026: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between teammates<\/a><\/p>\n F1 2026: Head-to-head race statistics between teammates<\/a><\/p>\n Aron is set to return to the cockpit of the R26 in Austria this weekend, standing in for Bortoleto.<\/p>\n Under F1\u2019s rules, teams are required to field a rookie driver \u2013 classed as drivers who have started no more than two grands prix \u2013 in four practice sessions over the course of a season.<\/p>\n With Hulkenberg and Bortoleto sitting out one FP1 session apiece as of this weekend, the pair will be forced to miss one more over the remaining 14 race weekends.<\/p>\n Despite scoring just two points so far, Audi has enjoyed a competitive start to its debut season with Bortoleto and Hulkenberg regularly finishing on the fringes of the top 10.<\/p>\n Bortoleto\u2019s ninth-place finish at the season opener in Australia remains the team\u2019s best result of the campaign to date.<\/p>\n Audi is the only team on the F1 2026 grid without an official reserve driver.<\/p>\n The team relied on a sharing agreement with Ferrari during its final season as Sauber in 2025, with former drivers Antonio Giovinazzi and Zhou Guanyu \u2013 now acting as Cadillac\u2019s reserve \u2013 available to the team in emergency circumstances.<\/p>\n Despite cutting ties with Ferrari ahead of this season, Audi has so far opted against having an official reserve driver in place.<\/p>\n Audi launched its own junior academy earlier this year with Freddie Slater, the 17-year-old British driver currently competing in Formula 3, named as the first recruit.<\/p>\n Emma Felbermayr, a 19-year-old Austrian competing in the all-female F1 Academy series, is also attached to Audi\u2019s junior scheme.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n