Paul Aron has been very impressive in Formula 2 this season and is contending for the championship but the Estonian has struggled in recent races.
The Hitech driver was blisteringly fast in the opening stages of the season, consistently scoring podiums in the first few rounds in F2.
Despite his good speed, he has yet to win a race this season, although failing to see the chequered flag first wasn’t a major issue due to his pace.
Aron has suffered a dip in form in recent races, and he hasn’t delivered a podium finish since the event at the Red Bull Ring in Austria in June.
This tricky run of races has derailed his title challenge, and Aron is now 36.5 points behind the championship leader, McLaren junior Gabriel Bortoleto.
Despite his issues over a race distance, the Estonian explained to the official Formula 2 website that he has been pleased with his pace over a single lap.
Paul Aron explained it has been a ‘perfect season’ in Formula 2 in qualifying
Formula 2 is a championship of fine margins as the cars all have the same chassis and engine, which makes the racing very competitive.
The series often sees qualifying decided by small errors over one lap as drivers battle for pole position for the Feature Race.
Aron is adamant that he has been performing well in qualifying, taking three pole positions for Hitech in Formula 2 so far.
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He said: “I think I have improved in every aspect. 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.”
Paul Aron is facing a difficult task to win the Formula 2 championship
Aron is now fourth in the championship standings with just two rounds remaining at the Lusail International Circuit and the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
Bortoleto has been very impressive throughout his Formula 2 season, leading the championship ahead of Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar, who will become Red Bull’s reserve driver in Formula 1.
Aron will need to hit the ground running in Qatar and deliver from the outset to take the two championship points for pole position, as he needs to build momentum early.
The playing may be levelled slightly next time out in Qatar as the circuit is new to the calendar and the drivers will be driving on the track for the first time in practice in the F2 car.