Aron joins Audi for Barcelona FP1 as host of driver changes confirmed

Alpine reserve driver Paul Aron will be on track in FP1 at the Barcelona Grand Prix, but he won’t be driving for Alpine. Instead, he’ll be testing for Audi.

Aron is one of five confirmed young drivers who will be in action on Friday in Spain.

Paul Aron confirmed for Audi FP1 outing in Barcelona

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Formula 1’s regulations mandate that every team run a young driver in four FP1 sessions during the championship, two per car.

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is traditionally a favourite venue for the teams to tick off one of the four FP1 sessions, given that all the drivers on the grid know the circuit very well.

So far, five of the 11 teams have announced that they will be running a junior driver at the start of the weekend, with Audi the latest to confirm a change.

Aron already knows the Audi team, having completed FP1 sessions during the 2024 and 2025 seasons with the team when it was still run under the Sauber name.

He will drive Nico Hulkenberg’s car in Spain and Gabriel Bortoleto’s in Austria.

A team statement read: “Paul Aron is set to make two Free Practice appearances with Audi this season, starting with this weekend’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, followed by a further outing at the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg at the end of the month.

“Having previously driven for the team in two different occasions in 2025, Paul will take over driving duties from team racers, Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, in Barcelona and in Spielberg respectively for the opening session of each race weekend, before returning to Alpine for the remainder of the events.”

Aron is one of five driver changes confirmed as of Wednesday midday, although other teams could make late announcements.

Aron will be joined by Luke Browning, Leonardo Fornaroli, Frederik Vesti and Colton Herta on the track on Friday.

The session marks the first Grand Prix session for McLaren’s Fornaroli as well as Cadillac’s Herta.

In a statement issued to PlanetF1.com by McLaren on Tuesday, Fornaroli said: “I’m looking forward to getting to drive the MCL40 this weekend in Spain for Free Practice 1.

“It’s a great opportunity to support the team with their preparations and work through the planned Friday programme.

“It’s also a very special milestone for me personally as it will be my first official Formula 1 session.

“It’s something I’ve worked towards for a long time and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to take this next step with McLaren Racing.”

But while Fornaroli has some TPC [Testing Previous Car] under his belt, Friday’s run will be Herta’s very first run in a Formula 1 car.

“I’m excited for Barcelona,” said Herta. “I feel ready to get out there. I’ve had time in the simulator at Charlotte, learning the track and the procedures to follow during the session.

“The aim is to have a clean session and help the team gather the data it needs, as well as getting used to the F1 car.”

More on the Barcelona Grand Prix on PlanetF1.com

F1 Barcelona Grand Prix 2026 event centre – Live updates, schedule, weather, preview

Barcelona Grand Prix weather: What is the risk of rain this weekend?

The list of FP1 changes for the Barcelona GP

Luke Browning – Williams – Alex Albon
Leonardo Fornaroli – McLaren – Lando Norris
Frederik Vesti – Mercedes – Kimi Antonelli
Colton Herta – Cadillac – Sergio Perez
Paul Aron – Audi – Nico Hulkenberg

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