Estonian driver Paul Aron is possibly the most consistent driver on the Formula 2 grid at the moment, in what is only his first season in the series, so why isn’t he piquing the interest of Formula One teams?
Aron has led the Formula 2 Championship from Monaco in May, to Silverstone most recently with 2 pole positions, and 6 podium finishes.
After an unfortunate weekend in Silverstone, Aron has lost his championship lead due to incidents in both the Sprint and Feature Races, the Sprint Race one was through no fault of his own as his engine died on him. He trails Isack Hadjar by 16 points.
Despite this consistency, it is still rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli who is being scouted for a Mercedes drive, while also being a part of the Mercedes-AMG F1 Junior Programme instead of Aron, for his F2 season.
In 2019, Paul Aron and the Mercedes-AMG F1 Junior Programme began their partnership, while the Estonian boy was competing in Formula 4. In that same year, Aron finished in an impressive 3rd in the Italian Championship, further proving what Mercedes had seen in him.
Aron continued fighting through Formula Regional in 2021 and 2022, finishing in 3rd in both seasons.
He stepped up to FIA Formula 3 for 2023. The Estonian finished 3rd overall before stepping into Clement Novalak’s Trident for the final F2 round at Yas Marina Circuit.
During that same race weekend, Aron confirmed that he and the Mercedes-AMG F1 Junior Programme would be parting ways for the following season.
Aron’s impressive season, as well as the combination of Oliver Bearman’s signing with Haas F1 Team, and the rumours of Williams F1 Team or Mercedes F1 Team looking to sign F2 rookie, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, emphasises a few questions.
Why has Aron not been scouted by an F1 team for a 2025 seat, and why haven’t any F1 teams scouted him for their Driver Development Programs for 2024?
As mentioned above, Paul Aron has led the 2024 Formula 2 Championship up until Silverstone, without winning a single race.
Now what does that tell us? Paul Aron is an incredibly consistent and quick driver.
The 20-year-old has consistently finished in a points paying position in all but 2 of the 16 races of the current season. While this is all well and good, the reigning Formula 2 champion is not allowed to remain in the category, so with what seems to be a lack of interest from Formula 1 teams, the 20-year-old may be in trouble.
Should the Estonian driver win the Formula 2 Championship this year, where would or could he go? Most assume he will take on a reserve driver role for a Formula One team, but without interest being shown by this teams, that road looks to be closed off.
Aron made his Formula E debut at the Berlin E-Prix in May this year, replacing Envision Racing’s Sébastien Buemi, after taking part in the Rookie Free Practice session ahead of the 2024 Misano E-Prix. The 20-year-old finished in 13th and 14th in Berlin, performing decently. It leads you to believe that Formula E may be the next step in his career, should be become Formula 2 champion this year.
In the Mercedes Junior Programme himself, Antonelli has not had the best of luck this season, with only 6 point paying finishes. This is only the 17-year old’s third full season in open-wheelers, jumping straight up to F2 without ever competing in F3, leaving questions in a large number of motorsport followers’ minds, on whether skipping F3 was the best choice for him and his career.
The Mercedes backed driver is sitting 8th in the Formula 2 standings, with only 59 points to his name. The Italian only secured his maiden F2 win in the recent Silverstone Sprint Race, securing his first pole position for the Sprint Race after the top 10 of the qualifying grid was reversed.
This leaves the question of whether he is ready for the leap to Formula 1 for 2025, and the biggest question of all: Why is Paul Aron being overlooked by F1 Teams, while Antonelli is looking so attractive to them?
