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Paul Aron is to deputise for Pierre Gasly at Alpine in this weekend's opening practice session for the Italian Grand Prix. It is the first session of the year Gasly will have missed as the Estonian takes over driving the A526 machine, having done so for Franco Colapinto at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Both Gasly and Colapinto must miss one more FP1 session apiece in the remainder of the season to fulfill the regulations. Aron has also taken part in two FP1 sessions for Audi in 2026, taking over from Nico Hulkenberg in Barcelona, and Gabriel Bortoleto in Austria. The outing at Monza will be his ninth FP1 session in total since 2024, all coming for Stake/Audi and Alpine. Aron is the second young driver confirmed for FP1, with Luke Browning once again driving for Williams. "I am looking forward to driving again in Free Practice 1 with the team this weekend," said Aron. "I am grateful to the team for giving me the opportunity to get back behind the wheel so soon. I was very pleased with my session in Budapest, and I hope to build on it this time around, particularly helping the team compare our latest upgrade package, which I have driven in the simulator. "It's going to be a busy weekend for me as I'll be on the simulator at Enstone on Friday night to further help the team fine-tune the set-up before returning to the track on Saturday. "I'll give it my all to hopefully assist the team in having a successful weekend." Also interesting: Join RacingNews365’s Nick Golding and Samuel Coop as they look ahead to this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix! The duo assess whether Lando Norris can continue his title charge and the significance of Kimi Antonelli’s grid penalty. Rather watch the podcast? Then click here! Get the latest F1 news from RacingNews365 directly in your Google feed! Click on the link below and you’ll see your favourite F1 website appearing even more often. That way, you’ll never miss any news, analyses, interviews, or exclusives. Follow RacingNews365 on GoogleMost read In this article Join the conversation! Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season. Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available. Click here to download it..