PREMA Racing has confirmed that Paul Aron will make the step up to Formula 3 next season with the Italian team.

The 18-year-old has driven for PREMA almost exclusively since his single-seater debut in Italian F4 back in 2019. Since then, he returned to the outfit for his Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine efforts in 2021 and ’22, most recently achieving a P3 finish in the Drivers’ Standings last season.

Aron currently sits third in the Championship on 176 points, with four victories and a further two podium finishes to his name in 2022. The Estonian said that he was excited at the prospect of continuing his junior motorsport career with the team he has been with for so many years.

“I am very, very happy, excited, and thankful to join a team like PREMA in the FIA Formula 3 Championship for the 2023 season,” Aron said. “They proved themselves year after year, always having three cars on top and showing great pace. I am delighted to spend another year with them, and I am confident they will give me the best possible package to fight for the win. I am really looking forward to seeing what we will be able to achieve next year.”

A member of the Mercedes F1 junior driver set-up, Aron will complete the remaining races of the 2022 FRECA campaign before turning his attentions to F3 and the 2023 season with the PREMA team.

Team Principal Rene Rosin said that he had no doubt that Aron would be ready for the challenges that await in Formula 3 next season.

“We are extremely delighted to continue working with Paul. We have always been aware of his winning potential, and we think he will keep producing impressive runs in the future, even in a very competitive and highly-challenging environment like Formula 3. It will be a learning year, but we are sure there will be many chances to challenge for high-profile results, so our goal is to push right from the winter preparations to be ready for 2023.”