Alpine confirmed that the 21-year-old Estonian will drive in Friday's first free practice session at the Hungaroring, replacing Franco Colapinto for the session, Autosport.ee reports.

In doing so, Aron will meet Alpine's first mandatory rookie driver practice session requirement of the season and will get behind the wheel of the A526 for the first time during an official Grand Prix weekend this year. Up to now, he had been contributing to the team's work primarily from the simulator at its Enstone factory throughout the season.

"I'm really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the A526. I've spent the entire year working with this car in the simulator at Enstone, and now I'll finally get to drive it on a real track. It will give me valuable experience and the opportunity to get a direct feel for the car," Aron said via a team press release.

The Estonian recalled that he had made a strong impression during Alpine's free practice sessions last year and now wants to build on that performance. "Last year, all three of my free practice sessions went very well. I want to build on those experiences and help the team as much as possible over the course of the weekend," he added.

The Hungarian Grand Prix is round 11 of the 2026 Formula One season and the final race before the one-month summer break. Aron has already taken part in two free practice sessions this year with the Audi Formula One team.

The race meet takes place at the famous Hungaroring just outside Budapest, where the very first Formula One Grand Prix to take place behind the former so-called iron curtain went ahead 40 years ago this year. The race weekend runs Friday to Sunday.

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