In a year-end interview with Vikerraadio, Aron, 21, said once people get used to the high standards he has set for himself, there is a danger of eventually fading into the fog of the motorsport world.

Aron took part in free practice at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in early July with the Sauber team, a month later doing the same at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He also drove for his home team, Alpine, in Italy and Mexico ahead of the final race of the year in Abu Dhabi. These drives with two different teams were already unusual.

"As far as I know, it has not really happened recently that a driver who was not a full-time race driver has already driven two different Formula 1 cars with two different teams. From my side, I got to have experience with different people, different teams and also different cars, which is a great addition to my résumé," Aron said.

Regardless of how many teams one drives for, Aron, who competed last season in Formula 2 with Hitech, found the F1 calendar pretty frenetic.

"I really had no idea how packed the Formula 1 schedule is," he admitted. "To be honest, I did not imagine that a reserve driver could have such a busy schedule. In fact, I think my schedule was busier than that of the starting race drivers. At the start of the year there was some talk that I would probably attend about half the races at the track and then spend maybe ten plus days in the simulator, but despite that I ultimately ended up being at the track at basically every race. Between each race, I flew back to the simulator, which meant that in total I did 500–600 hours in the simulator, which is a huge difference compared with what I was told at the beginning would happen," he explained.

The Franco-British team's base is in Enstone, in Oxfordshire, England.

"It was very difficult for me to imagine what this year would be like," Aron noted, adding that in his career so far, "every year I have had a racing calendar and I have had a very clear idea of what I am doing. This year has been nothing like that. I was not a full-time racing driver, I was a reserve driver, which in turn meant that my calendar was not fixed at all and was constantly being changed."

"That was something I truly did not foresee. I thought this reserve driver year would be easier, that I would have more time. I planned activities for myself and other things to do if time allowed, to stay in good shape with training and such. But in reality, I did not have time for anything else — not even for family or friends. In fact, I was doing double the work this year," the Estonian went on.

Aron said he has spent his life racing to win, but this year he essentially did not get to race for victory. "It was definitely different. Over the year I went through cycles of enjoying what I was doing, then realizing I was still a reserve driver and feeling dissatisfied. Then I reminded myself to accept it and give my maximum. That cycle kept repeating. There were moments I really enjoyed it, but ultimately I am a racing driver and did not come to Formula 1 to, theoretically, play a computer game."

Aron said that even the most advanced simulators cannot replicate real racing. The pressure, adrenaline, crowd, and decisive moments are missing, and without them, the experience is less enjoyable and does not bring out his best.

Working in the simulator did at least allow the driver to learn how an F1 car works, experiment with setups, and gain valuable experience. He also spent time with engineers, observed the sport from the sidelines, and prepared to learn from others' mistakes if he gets a race seat.

Aron said the past season as an F1 reserve driver helped grow as both an athlete and a person. He was surprised by his ability to cope with extensive travel, time zone changes, fatigue, and illness. While he did not race as he had hoped, the experience taught him the challenges of being a reserve driver compared with his expectations as a race driver.

He added 2025 aided him in pushing through challenges even when doing so wasn't enjoyable, helping him develop quickly as a person and adapt to demanding environments. With a large global following and increasing attention from fans, he recognizes that full stardom will come only if he secures a full-time race seat, as his current role as a reserve driver limits exposure and marketing.

As a reserve driver, Aron is remaining cautious about his image, focusing on hard work and racing rather than on branding. He added he admires the relentless effort of all the F1 staff, from catering to engineers. Coming from Estonia, he acknowledged his path has been harder than those drivers from larger countries with a long F1 pedigree and who often get strong national backing, but both he and his older brother Ralf, now a team manager at Prema Racing, have managed well despite limited resources and sponsorship.

As for the future, the Estonian said: "If that Formula 1 door were to close at some point, then maybe the answer would be different. Maybe that is a question that should be asked again in half a year or a year, when it is clear whether I have a career in Formula 1 or not."

Come what may, next year will be vital in getting in racing experience, he went on. "I have been in a reserve role for a year now; the fact is that by my own logic, two years is the maximum. The sooner you get to race, the better. In the F1 world, new young drivers come in every year. Every year there are new talents, and the longer you sit in a reserve driver position, the more you slowly fade into the so-called fog. I invested more all the time than anyone expected — it was very effective — but once you have been in that position for a year, it is hard to deliver that same effect again, because people simply get used to it. Maybe the fact that I do twice as much work as some other driver becomes a standard for them, which they do not even notice until the next guy comes along who actually does much less, much poorer work, and only then do they realize that Paul was actually mega-good."

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