F1 star returns to Alpine for vital summer break test

Photo: © IMAGO

Alpine

F1 star returns to Alpine for vital summer break test

Alpine are taking part in a crucial summer break test

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 5 August 2025 17:56

Alpine have announced the return of an F1 star to the team for a vital test during the summer break.

While the F1 action will be on pause for the remainder of August thanks to the sport's annual summer holiday, four teams have remained at the Hungaroring to conduct a test of Pirelli’s 2026 tyres.

McLaren, Racing Bulls, Ferrari and Alpine will all take part in a two-day test where they could also experiment with a mobile front wing.

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Paul Aron returns to Alpine to take part in Tuesday’s test at the Hungaroring, with the team confirming his place in the car on social media after two previous outings with Sauber at the British and Hungarian Grands Prix.

The Estonian was joined in Tuesday’s test by Lando Norris in the McLaren and Liam Lawson in the Racing Bulls. On Wednesday, Charles Leclerc will get behind the wheel of the Ferrari, while Alpine will rotate their current two drivers Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto.

Does Paul Aron have a chance of a full-time F1 drive?

Alpine have had an unstable year where their second seat has been concerned, with Colapinto replacing Jack Doohan from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix onwards due to the Aussie star's inability to score points.

Fast-forward to the summer break and Colapinto still does not have a single point scored with Alpine, as the team currently languishes at the bottom of the constructors’ standings.

While Aron’s FP1 outings with Sauber were about the young driver gaining on track experience in F1 machinery, Flavio Briatore would undoubtedly have been casting a keen eye over proceedings.

The Italian will similarly look at the test at the Hungaroring – although this will be more focused on next year's tyre than the current F1 cars – to see how his younger driver performs.

Alpine are yet to announce a decision on their 2026 driver line-up, with the future of Colapinto very much up in the air if he continues on his current point-less form during the second-half of the season.

One happy @PaulAron16 😄

A productive morning getting through the run plan. Plenty of laps in the bank ✔️ pic.twitter.com/bJ9saBC3Q6
— BWT Alpine Formula One Team (@AlpineF1Team) August 5, 2025