Alonso to miss Japanese GP media day for birth of first child

Fernando Alonso will skip Thursday's media activities at the Japanese Grand Prix due to the imminent birth of his first child, arriving at Suzuka just in time for Friday practice. The two-time champion's personal milestone comes as his Aston Martin team endures a disastrous start to the 2026 season, rooted in severe reliability issues with its Honda power unit and ongoing management upheaval.

Why it matters:

Alonso's absence highlights the human element within the high-pressure F1 calendar, but it is overshadowed by the deeper crisis at Aston Martin. The team's technical struggles and leadership instability present a significant threat to its competitive future, making any driver absence a secondary concern to the fundamental problems plaguing the Silverstone squad.

The details:

• Personal Timing: Alonso and partner Melissa Jiménez announced the pregnancy last year, with the due date coinciding with the Japanese GP weekend. An Aston Martin statement confirmed he would miss media day but be at the track for Friday's sessions.
• Limited Track Time: Alonso's first session will be FP2, as he is also forfeiting FP1 to fulfill the team's mandatory rookie running with reserve driver Jak Crawford.
• Technical Crisis: The AMR26's Honda power unit has been plagued by excessive engine vibrations, causing repeated battery failures and severely limiting the team's running in testing and races.
  • Honda's Shintaro Orihara noted vibrations were reduced in China but stated the root cause and energy management issues remain unresolved, a major concern for the demanding Suzuka circuit.
• Championship Struggle: These problems have left Aston Martin last in the constructors' championship without a single point after the opening races.
• Management Flux: The team's instability extends beyond engineering. Motorsport.com recently revealed that Adrian Newey is set to step down as team principal just three months after taking the role, with Jonathan Wheatley—who just left Audi—expected to replace him.

What's next:

All eyes will be on whether Aston Martin can show tangible progress at Honda's home race in Suzuka. The circuit's high-energy demands will be a stern test of the reliability fixes implemented since China. For Alonso, a weekend of personal celebration will be tempered by the professional challenge of extracting performance from a deeply troubled car, while the team's long-term direction awaits clarity with its impending leadership change.