Paul Aron is following his impressive start to the F2 season with a one-off Formula E appearance for reigning champions Envision Racing this weekend. On the eve of the Berlin E-Prix, he spoke to Feeder Series about his hopes for the weekend and his year so far.

By Martin Lloyd

Aron is currently contesting his debut F2 season with Hitech and is second in the championship after three rounds, 15 points behind championship leader Zane Maloney.

In Melbourne, the Estonian told Feeder Series that he’d anticipated taking ‘a few points’ from those opening events. Despite this, he ‘exceeded expectations’ with podiums in three of the six races and top-10 finishes in two more.

Aron finished third overall in FRECA in 2021 and 2022 and in F3 as a rookie in 2023. Meanwhile, he also competed in the Formula Regional Asian Championship in 2022. While he may not have won a championship, Aron’s consistency across those three years brought him nine wins, 22 podiums and points in 68 percent of races, with only eight retirements in those years.

The path from F2 to FE

A month and a half on from that most recent F2 round, Aron spoke to Feeder Series in a different context. He has been called up to race in the Berlin E-Prix double-header by Formula E team Envision Racing, who won the 2022–23 Formula E teams’ title at the final round.

The outfit’s regular drivers, Robin Frijns and Sébastien Buemi, have both been sidelined by commitments in this weekend’s 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the third round of the World Endurance Championship. Joel Eriksson will join Aron for the round.

“Generally, the opportunity to race in Formula E is very exciting,” Aron said, “especially to do it with a team like Envision, who are last year’s teams’ champions and have shown very good speed this year.”

Aron will not be the only current F2 driver on the grid at the Berlin E-Prix this weekend, as PHM Racing’s Taylor Barnard will also deputise for the injured Sam Bird at McLaren.

They join recent Formula 2 alumni Jehan Daruvala, a rookie at Maserati, and Dan Ticktum, a third-year driver with ERT. Also on the grid is Jake Hughes, who abandoned his 2022 F2 campaign partway through the season after his Formula E commitments with McLaren – then Mercedes – increased ahead of his race debut in the 2022–23 season.

Why does Aron believe the series is becoming more popular?

“Formula E and F1 are the only world championship single-seater series. I think that’s why many of the guys are looking into this championship,” he explained. “It’s obviously on the rise and in a way the future, so everybody is keeping an eye on it. The level in the feeder series is pretty high. It means that the drivers who have transitioned here have all done really well. That just proves that the level in F2 and in feeder series is really high and it develops good drivers.”

“I think at this point in my career, I’m getting to the age where I need to make the transition to professional racing. Whether it’s in Formula 1, Formula E, IndyCar or WEC, I don’t know. So far, I’m trying to keep all the options open, and this opportunity in Formula E is definitely a very good step in my career,” he continued.

“I want to be a professional racing driver because that’s something I enjoy. I want to make sure that I enjoy this weekend and do the best job I can, and hopefully I’m able to bring some points in for the team.

“From the moment I leave this paddock, I’ll be back focused on Formula 2. I’ll leave all the other stuff up to my brother and the management!”

Aron’s brother is Ralf Aron, a race winner in European F3. The 26-year-old currently competes in the NLS series as a Mercedes GT3 factory driver after a stint as team manager at Prema Racing, where both Aron brothers spent much of their driving careers.

Expectations for Berlin

The Envision rookie is staying level-headed entering the weekend.

“If we do a good job this weekend, this could be a starting point for a long-term relationship with Envision or in Formula E. But I can’t promise that. From my side, I have a very clear focus this weekend and then after that a clear focus on the Formula 2 season,” he said.

“I also need to be realistic. The level is really high in this championship and it’s a difficult championship with everything that’s going on. It’s not too wise to expect a lot. I’m trying to keep expectations low and the happy surprise is waiting!” 

Aron is also aware of the technical challenges that Formula E will bring. 

“I would say the preparation for Formula E is more focused on stuff outside of driving – understanding the systems, dialling them in for the weekend, learning the track because there’s a lot of new tracks that you’ve never raced before. You’re also focusing on dialling in the energy management,” he explained.

“It’s less about trying to go as quick as possible and more about making sure that once you get to the track, you are in a good window with your car, with the systems and mentally with your understanding of everything.”

‘Going back to F2 will definitely feel easier’

Aron also said his Formula E commitments could give him a further advantage when F2 begins its European leg of the season next weekend at Imola.

“[Formula E] is cognitively really straining.” he explained. “There’s so much stuff rather than just driving. The systems, the amount of people that you work with and the double-headers especially are really tight with timing. Once you get used to this more difficult environment, going back to F2 will definitely feel easier, cognitively at least. This will help me to be able to focus more on my driving.”

Having parted ways with the Mercedes Junior Team at the end of 2023, the 20-year-old entered F2 without much pressure, but his strong form will raise expectations.

“The more you perform, the more is expected from you, so it does get a bit more difficult, but that’s the key area where a great driver makes a difference compared to a good driver – if you are able to keep your composure and able to do your job even if there’s added pressure.”

In Formula E’s first free practice session earlier today, Aron finished 13th of 22 drivers, 0.527 seconds off pacesetter António Félix da Costa.

Header photo credit: Simon Galloway / Formula E