Alpine agree mid-season driver swap for British Grand Prix

Alpine have agreed to a mid-season F1 swap for their reserve driver Paul Aron at the upcoming British Grand Prix.

Aron will make his F1 debut during FP1 at Silverstone, not with Alpine, but with rival team Sauber after the two teams reached an agreement over his driving services.

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The agreement will release Aron for two FP1 sessions this season, and will also see the Estonian compete for Sauber at the Hungaroring in August.

Aron will replace Nico Hulkenberg at Silverstone, as part of the mandatory requirement that every F1 team must give up two practice sessions per car to a rookie.

It means that Sauber only have to give up two FP1 sessions to a rookie driver in total, because it is Gabriel Bortoleto’s rookie season in the seat so they have already fulfilled that quota with his car.

Who is Alpine reserve driver Paul Aron?

Aron competed in Formula 2 last year, where he finished third behind current F1 stars Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar, nonetheless impressing Alpine bosses and earning himself a spot amongst their reserve ranks.

Whilst the 21-year-old does not currently compete in a full-time racing series, he undertakes development work back at Alpine’s Enstone base, including simulator tests to help with their current car.

Alpine’s executive advisor Flavio Briatore released a statement following the agreement, which read: "It is in our interests to maximise any driving opportunities for our young talent, so it is good to have an agreement with Sauber for Paul to drive in Free Practice 1 in Silverstone and Budapest.

"We are seeing varied success from last year's Formula 2 drivers this year up and down the grid, and Paul was a front runner in that category, so this is an opportunity for him and the team to continue his progress and to give him valuable track time."

Aron’s FP1 opportunities coincide with a difficult period for Franco Colapinto at Alpine, who has failed to earn a single point with the team, and was involved in an embarrassing incident at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Despite being lapped by Oscar Piastri, the Argentine driver tried to battle the McLaren on track which earned him a five-second time penalty and ensured he finished the race in second-to-last position of the remaining runners.

READ MORE: McLaren F1 stars hit by FIA deleted lap ruling after Austrian Grand Prix

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