Fernando Alonso is to miss media day at the Japanese Grand Prix on Thursday because he is travelling to the race late following the birth of his first child.
Aston Martin said on Wednesday that the two-time world champion was “arriving slightly later this weekend for personal family reasons”.
However, the real reason soon surfaced, adding a heartwarming twist to a chaotic season.
The team declined to give any further details but it has now been confirmed that it is because Alonso’s partner Melissa Jimenez has had their first baby.
Alonso, 44, prefers to keep his personal life private and no further information has been made public.
Still, Aston Martin moved quickly to calm any concerns surrounding his availability. The team added: “All is well and he will be at the track in time for Friday.”
Alonso, who is in the final year of his contract with Aston Martin and has not said whether he wants to stay in F1 beyond 2026, is not due to take part in Friday’s first practice session.
Meanwhile, preparations continue, with backup plans already in motion.
The team’s reserve driver Jak Crawford will be driving the car in one of the team’s mandated rookie sessions this year.
Honda troubles deepen as Aston Martin fight to salvage season at Suzuka
Alonso has insisted he has faith in Honda’s ability to put things right but acknowledged that he does not know how long that will take. It is the second time he has been on the receiving end of Honda being unprepared in a new relationship in F1, after a difficult three years with McLaren in 2015-17.
Consequently, Aston Martin’s campaign has stumbled badly from the outset.
Aston Martin have had a troubled start to the season as a result of major reliability and performance issues with their Honda engine, while the car is also behind on development after its design was started late.
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They are last in the world championship after two races, the worst possible start to their new factory partnership with Honda.
Moreover, race results have only deepened the crisis. Alonso has retired from both events in Australia and China and team-mate Lance Stroll retired in China and finished last, 15 laps behind the winner, in Melbourne.
At the core lies a serious technical flaw disrupting everything.Honda’s first-order issue is a severe vibration from the engine that has been leading to failures in the battery. Even more concerning, the physical toll on drivers has raised alarms. That came after team principal Adrian Newey said at the first race of the season that the vibrations were so bad they were risking permanent nerve damage for the drivers within 25 laps of running.
Tags: Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin, Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, Adrian Newey, Lance Stroll, Jak Crawford, F1, Formula One, Honda.
