Paul Aron searching for redemption as Formula 3 takes Monaco
Driving in the FIA Formula 3 championship often gives drivers a reset from their junior careers, but as he draws from his experience in Formula Regional, Paul Aron is searching for redemption in Monaco.
Paul Aron on track in Monaco on Thursday. (Rudy Carezzevoli / Formula Motorsport Limited / Getty Images)
Racing in 2022 for the first time in the principality, the Estonian driver made an error in qualifying which left him at the rear of the field for both races of the weekend.
That, of course, was in the Formula Regional European championship, where Aron was a front-runner alongside familiar rivals Gabriele Mini and Dino Beganovic. The points lost in Monaco may well have tipped the championship away from Aron, who finished third just four points behind Mini.
While the FIA Formula 3 championship is often a reset for drivers, Aron and the other Formula Regional European drivers are drawing heavily from their experience around the principality.
The PREMA Racing driver was second-fastest in his qualifying group and will start the feature race from third on the grid.
“I think it's been a great result today for the team,” said Aron, with teammate Dino Beganovic qualifying second.
“Best qualifying from my side and also from Dino's side, so I think we can be quite happy on that.”
“We've made big steps throughout the year so far and we can hopefully continue making them and push ourselves forward. Obviously, you are around Monaco, you want to go for pole but I think I can't be too disappointed today.
“Looking at what happened last year, I had the most difficult weekend of my life last year. I've never felt pain to that level and coming back this year obviously, you now have this memories haunting you and I think I've done a great job today to push through that bad experience from last year and put together a solid qualifying.”
“It's all about confidence here and it's hard to have a hundred percent confidence if you had a really, really, really difficult weekend here last year. So I think I can be quite happy about that.”
Paul Aron in the garage during the Formula 3 season. (Mercedes AMG F1)
The experience, said the Mercedes junior, was almost so painful that he didn’t want to return to Monaco, but was ultimately invaluable in finding lap time with limited preparation.
“It was obviously helpful that we've been around here before and we had already a good knowing of what to do, but it's a two-sided thing. Last year I had my worst ever weekend here and in other cases I would've been happy to come here fully fresh rather than having those memories haunting you.”
“It is a two-sided thing, but obviously having experience on a city circuit and in a place where experience is very valuable is always a benefit.”
Aron, a contender so far this season in Formula 3, took the well-needed break before Monaco to complete his school exams. “I was able to come here with a clear head and fully focused on racing,” he says.
Jumping into the Formula 3 car at Monaco, he says the pace difference from his previous machinery has been laid bare for the first time.
“On normal tracks I haven't realized that much, how much quicker the F3 is compared to the Formula Regional.”
“I mean it feels natural, but coming here, especially with the soft tyres, I realized that this car is much quicker than the regional and you can push it a lot more. If we take, for example, the swimming pool chicane in the regional, you could do it flat only maybe in the last two push laps and really on the limit. And ever since we bolted on the soft tires here was easy flat.”
“You really realize around these streets where there's no room for error and you have the softest compound available, how much quicker you can go with these F3 cars.”
Just like his machinery, Aron has taken the step forward from last year’s challenges, set to take the feature race from the second row on Sunday.
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