Paul Aron has enjoyed a sublime start to life in Formula 2. He’s been on the podium at each of the first three rounds, and he now sits second in the standings, 15 points adrift of championship leader Zane Maloney.

By Steven Walton

Paul Aron did not expect to start his 2024 F2 campaign so strongly.

The Hitech GP driver was one of the stars when the season began in Bahrain. He only qualified 12th, but in the feature race, he carved his way through the field to finish third, picking up his first F2 podium.

A week later, he was back on the podium in the sprint race in Jeddah, and then in Melbourne, he picked up yet another one when he finished second in the feature race behind Isack Hadjar. He missed out on the win by 4.454 seconds.

“If it wasn’t for that lucky stop [for Hadjar], we could have had a chance for the win,” Aron said after the Melbourne race, referencing how Hadjar benefitted substantially from pitting on lap 10, just before the virtual safety car was deployed.

So why were these results – three podiums in three rounds – so unexpected for the former Mercedes junior?

“I wasn’t expecting it, not because I didn’t have faith in myself or in the team but mainly because we had a tough time in testing and you know there’s always a chance that you don’t get it right straight away,” Aron told Feeder Series on Thursday in the Melbourne paddock.

“Coming into the first two rounds, I was just expecting to get a few points, but obviously we exceeded our expectations here. I think the main point now will just be that we don’t get too comfortable too early.”

Adapting fast to the new F2 car

Aron is one of 10 rookies in F2 this year.

Last year, he raced in F3 and finished third in the championship behind Gabriel Bortoleto and Zak O’Sullivan, two drivers who have also graduated to F2 this year. Aron also joined Trident for the F2 finale last year in Abu Dhabi.

What are the differences between the Dallara F2 2024 and the Dallara F3 2019 he drove last year? “It’s mainly that the F3 car feels more of a car that you drive as quick as possible, whereas the F2 car you drive as quick as that car wants to be driven,” Aron answered.

“I think that’s why many drivers who are quick in F3 are not always up to speed straight away in F2. It’s because that car requires a specific driving style that suits it, and if it’s not your natural style, then it requires a lot of work to … adapt.”

Aron said that his style didn’t suit the F2 car but that he had still been able to adapt quickly. He felt his adjustment was aided by his three years of experience with the Tatuus F3-T318, which he used in Formula Renault Eurocup as well as Formula Regional series in both Europe and the Middle East.

“That [Formula Regional] car I didn’t like to be honest, the driving style, but I had to be quick with it and I learned how to be quick with it, so I think my past experience is coming into play here,” he said.

Aron suspected the need to adapt was one of the reasons he was ‘on the back foot’ in pre-season testing. The Estonian racked up 156 laps across the three-day test in Bahrain, but excluding the wet first day of running, Aron never finished higher than 18th in any of the sessions.

“Then I managed to change my approach to driving this car, and I think the team made a big step forward also with the performance of the car,” he said.

“I’ve been able to adapt to it well, and now we are quick and I’m enjoying driving it as well.”

Entering 2024 with no expectations

Aron said he hoped to continue fighting at the front in F2 but said it was too early to think about the championship.

“It’s still a new car,” he said. “Everybody’s still developing it and I think there’s a long way to go.  If you get comfortable too early, then you know if other people make steps forward, you will fall behind,” he said.

The Estonian driver said that in contrast to other seasons, he was approaching this one with no expectations.

He was quick to emphasise that his lack of expectation was not due to a lack of belief but due to the uncertainty brought about by the series’ new-for-2024 car.

“I think that’s worked out really well because I’ve really enjoyed the first two rounds. There’s not been any pressure. We’ve just gone out there [and] just tried to do the best we can, and so far it’s worked out well,” he said.

“Compared to [previous] years when I’ve approached the season and there’s been quite clear goals and so on set by outside factors but also by myself and due to the circumstances, there was obviously a lot more pressure. And at the beginning of every year it took a bit of time to get used to that pressure.”

No longer supported by Mercedes

This year, Aron no longer has backing from Mercedes. He joined their F1 junior programme in 2019 when he was racing in F4, but last November, he confirmed the end of the partnership in an Instagram post.

Asked if the pressure he experienced in previous seasons came from being part of Mercedes, Aron said, “I think to a certain degree yes, but in the end, I think every driver should be racing for themselves.

“I’m certainly racing for myself, so in a way it hasn’t changed anything, but obviously I think there is a small factor, you know. Previously knowing that they were behind me and they were expecting me to do well, sometimes it probably did have a little effect even if it was unconsciously,” he said.

“I’ve kept working. I’ve still got the same entourage around me, from my family and from Karl [Pärjamäe], the physio who comes with me.”

Aron added that he has built a good relationship with Hitech, his F2 team, and that such camaraderie with his teams has been a big factor in his prior success in single-seaters.

“Because the work between us has been so enjoyable, it’s taken the pressure out of it,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say [parting ways with Mercedes] made a big change. In the end, the goal is always the same: you want to win, you want to do well. And that is achieved by working on yourself and working with the team, and it’s been exactly the same this year.”

Header image credit: Sebastiaan Rozendaal / Dutch Photo Agency