A ‘perfect’ year even with troubling luck: Paul Aron on his 2024 season so far

Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Paul Aron says his 2024 Formula 2 campaign has been a successful one despite a tough run of results hampering his Championship hopes.
The Estonian driver had a strong first half of the year, achieving at least one podium in each of the opening seven rounds, giving him the Drivers’ Championship lead heading to Round 8 in Silverstone.
However, since his spin during Qualifying at the British venue, his results have taken a hit with just three points scoring finishes in the last eight races – with two of those coming at the most recent round in Baku where he ended up sixth twice.
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Reflecting on it all prior to Round 12 in Baku getting underway, Aron said: “It’s definitely results wise not been what we’d hoped for. I think the first seven rounds of the season we averaged 17 points per round and we were on the podium every round.
“Now in the last four I have scored seven points, where four of them have come from Pole Position and not for the races. So, it’s definitely not gone our way this second part of the year so far, but I guess that is racing.
“I could say that there have been one or two mistakes from my side which have resulted in a points loss but ultimately there has been a lot outside of my control that has gone wrong. We have had bad luck with incidents I have not been able to avoid, and issues outside of my control.
“For example, we stopped on the last lap in Spa from a podium position, and in Monza, I got up to the lead and was taken out. There has been a lot that has happened, so definitely seems like luck has not been on our side these last few rounds.
“But in the last three Qualifying’s, we have qualified twice on pole and once third. I think if we look at the season average, I am the best, if not, one of the best qualifiers this season. The pace has been strong, we have been quick every weekend and that’s super positive. Of course everyone looks at results, and in the last few rounds the results have not been there.”
With such tough luck, it would be easy for heads to drop but Aron says that has not been the case for him and Hitech as they have continued to analyse where they could have done better after each weekend.
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Looking at the Championship, he currently sits fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, 36.5 points behind leader Gabriel Bortoleto but that’s not completely where his focus is on at the moment.
Aron highlights his results as a sign that anything can happen in Formula 2 and as a reason not to be too concerned about the title just yet. Instead, his attention has been on leading the team, who he praised for extracting the maximum in performance at every round so far this year.
“Taking that leadership role, it’s important to remain calm, show everyone that you are confident in your abilities, and push the team forward,” he explained.
“Of course, it’s much more difficult to stay positive and motivated when things are not going well, especially when they have been up and down for us.
“It’s been building everything back up and then it gets taken down and all you can really do is keep going, because once you give up, that’s it. I think we have had a very successful season still so far, we are still fourth in the points, I think we should be much higher if things have gone differently but that’s life.”
2024 being a successful year for Aron is not only down to results but also because he feels he has grown as a driver and as he looks back on the season so far, he describes it as “perfect”.
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“I think I have improved in every aspect,” he said. “What’s been very clear is that this year if we look potential-wise, if we look at qualifying results, it’s been a perfect season.
“We started off not being that quick in qualifying but making the right decisions in the races, being smart, and being consistent and after five rounds we were leading the Championship. I think I had qualified in the top five only once and that was in Round 5 in Monaco.
“After Monaco we were the championship leaders and me getting more comfortable with the car, the team developing the car and us working together in a good way, improving the pace, we were on Pole in Barcelona and from that point on we have been at the front in every qualifying.
“At Silverstone, we were fastest after the first run, there was a mistake from my side in the second run but the pace was clearly there. We were on pole both in Hungary and Spa and in Monza even without getting it fully right, we were still third.
“In that sense it has been a very nicely progressive season, not having the pace in the beginning but then just delivering on the potential we have, scoring very good points.”
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Aron admits he got a bit carried away at times with achieving that first victory which led to some of the mistakes. He says it’s a “shame” as it not only cost him wins but also points that could have put him higher in the Standings.
He knows nothing is decided though, highlighting Bortoleto’s victory in Monza and Isack Hadjar’s win in the Melbourne Feature as a sign of how things can change quickly.
From his point of view however, if he and Hitech deliver on their potential, they do not need a “silver bullet’ going in their favour. He believes that if they “control the controllable” they will finish where they belong.
“Every year there is little goal in every driver’s mind that they want to finish in the top three,” he said. “Top three I could accept but fourth would be a bit of a shame.
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“It’s been clear that the team and myself, as a combination we deserve a bit better than fourth. It depends on how these three rounds go and that could change my judgement.
“We just need to keep going, try and make steps forward where we can and then we will see where we end up in Abu Dhabi. It’s hard to see how I will feel then but I will still say the goal is definitely top three.”