Championship leader being ignored in Formula 1 driver market

Paul Aron has shown what he is capable of in his first full Formula 2 season. Championship-winning Formula 2 drivers have many times earned promotions to Formula 1. However, there is not much buzz around the Estonian driver moving to the top series next year.

This lack of buzz around the 20-year-old Hitech Pulse-Eight driver, who leads the Formula 2 championship standings after the season's first five race weekends, comes despite the fact that he has outperformed both Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman, two drivers linked to 2025 Formula 1 seats.

One key thing to note is that the Aron left the Mercedes Junior Team at the end of 2023 and currently has no affiliations to a Formula 1 team. That may hurt his chances of landing a seat in 2025, and it also troubles his hopes of landing a full-time seat in 2026.

What if Paul Aron wins the Formula 2 championship?

If Aron is crowned champion this year, he has no choice but to move elsewhere. Under FIA rules, the reigning Formula 2 champion is not permitted to remain in Formula 2 the following year.

With that being said, Aron is likely to move into a reserve driver role. There are hopes for him at Haas, Sauber, and Alpine heading into 2025, but nothing is certain yet.

And he is certainly someone to monitor in coming seasons if Alpine's Pierre Gasly or Haas' Kevin Magnussen decide to move on from their respective teams.

It is quite odd that Aron has not been getting much consideration for a seat in Formula 1 next season. The consistency he has displayed thus far is impressive, given the fact that he finds himself atop the standings even without a win through 10 races.

If Aron wants to boost his chances of landing full-time seat in Formula 1, his best course of action would be to take a reserve driver role next season and make the best of any testing and free practice sessions he is given.

This has appeared to work for Antonelli, as he recently outpaced George Russell in a private test for Mercedes in Italy, resulting in a boost to his chances to land Lewis Hamilton's seat.