Colapinto to sit out opening practice at Monza as Aron takes over his Alpine

Ahead of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, Alpine has announced that its test and reserve driver Paul Aron will take over Franco Colapinto's car in the opening practice.

The French-British outfit has confirmed that test and reserve Driver, Paul Aron, will get his first opportunity to drive for the team during a Grand Prix weekend in Free Practice 1.

However, it will not mark Aron's first appearance during a race weekend as the Estonian has already completed two FP1 outings with Sauber in 2025.

Alpine hopes that Aron will quickly get used to the car as he has driven for the team in the simulator throughout the year as well as taking part in the team's TPC (Testing Previous Cars) programme, Pirelli Tyre Testing and the post-season Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi, last season.

Commenting on his third FP1 outing of the season, Aron noted: “I'm looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the A525 for my first Grand Prix weekend appearance with the team in Monza.

"I've got to know everyone really well since I joined at the end of last year as Test and Reserve Driver and appreciate the trust the team has given me to drive in Friday's Free Practice 1.

"I'm aiming to do as good a job as possible to help set up the car for the whole weekend and be in the best position to have a competitive race weekend from the outset.

"Personally, it will be great to build on the experience I've gained from the simulator and testing opportunities. I'll make sure I use this to have an enjoyable and productive session for both me and the team," Aron concluded.