Aston Martin confirm Fernando Alonso will miss start of Japan GP weekend
Fernando Alonso will arrive late to this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix after Aston Martin confirmed he will miss Thursday’s media duties for personal family reasons, as first reported by SportBible.
The team said the two-time world champion is expected at Suzuka on Friday in time for on-track running, meaning he could miss the opening practice session depending on his arrival.
“Fernando is arriving slightly later this weekend for personal family reasons and won't be attending media day at the Japanese Grand Prix,” Aston Martin said in a statement. “All is well and he will be at the track in time for Friday.”
If Alonso does not take part in first practice, reserve driver Jak Crawford is expected to step in as part of the team’s required rookie running allocation for the season, SportBible reported.
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The timing of Alonso’s delayed arrival is linked to the expected birth of his first child with partner Melissa Jimenez, with the due date falling during the Suzuka race weekend, according to SportBible.
While Alonso is still set to race, the situation adds another dimension to what has already been a challenging start to the season for Aston Martin.
The Silverstone-based team entered 2026 with high expectations but has struggled with reliability issues across the opening rounds.
There have also been reports of internal restructuring, with Adrian Newey shifting focus toward technical responsibilities, although the team has not publicly detailed any formal leadership change, as noted by SportBible.
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On track, Alonso’s frustrations were evident at the Chinese Grand Prix, where he retired early after experiencing severe vibrations in the car.
“Yeah, I could not probably finish the race anyway,” Alonso said afterwards. “The vibration level was very high today.
“At one point, from lap 20 to 33, I was struggling a little bit to feel my hands and my feet.
“We were one lap behind, we were last. It was probably no point to keep on going.”
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Alonso later indicated uncertainty over when Aston Martin’s issues might be resolved, underlining the scale of the challenge facing the team as the season begins to take shape.
With Suzuka marking the third round of the campaign, Aston Martin will be looking for signs of progress in both performance and reliability as pressure builds following a difficult opening phase.
Sources: SportBible, Aston Martin statement
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