Paul Aron will replace Pierre Gasly at Alpine for the opening practice session of the 2026 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, giving the Estonian his second FP1 appearance for the French team this season. The 22-year-old will complete the first 60 minutes of the weekend as part of Formula 1’s mandatory rookie practice programme, while also helping Alpine evaluate its latest upgrade package.
It represents a small change to Alpine’s regular driver line-up for the Monza weekend. Paul Aron will take over Pierre Gasly’s car in FP1 as the team fulfils one of the four practice sessions it must allocate to rookie drivers across its two cars during the season.
Paul Aron replaces Pierre Gasly for Alpine in Monza FP1
For Paul Aron, the Italian Grand Prix will mark his second appearance for Alpine in 2026 after his outing at the Hungaroring, where he replaced Franco Colapinto.
The former Mercedes Academy member has also taken part in FP1 at Barcelona and the Red Bull Ring this season, although on those occasions he was behind the wheel of an Audi. Monza will therefore be his fourth FP1 appearance of 2026 and another opportunity to gain experience in current Formula 1 machinery.
“I am looking forward to driving again in Free Practice 1 with the team this weekend,” Paul Aron said.
“I am grateful to Alpine for giving me the opportunity to get back behind the wheel so soon. I was very pleased with my session in Budapest, and I hope to take another step forward this time, particularly by helping the team evaluate our latest upgrade package, which I have already driven in the simulator,” he added.
The Estonian will have significantly more work to do once his hour on track at Monza is completed. Rather than ending his Friday duties after FP1, Paul Aron will travel back to Alpine’s Enstone headquarters to continue supporting the race team.
“It will be a busy weekend for me, as on Friday evening I’ll be on the simulator in Enstone to further help the team fine-tune the set-up before returning to the track on Saturday.”
Monza will be Paul Aron’s ninth career FP1 appearance
The Italian Grand Prix outing will be Paul Aron’s ninth FP1 appearance overall. During 2025, the Estonian attracted attention with two practice sessions for Kick Sauber and another three with Alpine.
His 2026 programme has already taken him to three different circuits before Monza. The appearances with Audi at Barcelona and Austria were followed by his first Alpine FP1 of the season in Hungary, meaning the Italian Grand Prix will be his fourth practice outing of the current campaign.
Paul Aron will not be the only rookie taking part in Friday practice at Monza. Williams reserve driver Luke Browning is also scheduled to return to the car after the Friday morning sessions in Barcelona and Austria.
The rookie running will add another element to the opening session of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, with Monza once again providing teams with an opportunity to satisfy their mandatory practice requirements while gathering useful development data. The race is part of the 2026 Formula 1 calendar.
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