Aston Martin Releases Update After Fernando Alonso Health Issue

Aston Martin has announced that Fernando Alonso will be returning to the seat of the AMR24 for the second Free Practice session in Mexico.

An unexpected health issue led to the Spanish driver sitting out of the media day and the FIA-mandated young driver sessions when rookie Felipe Drugovich took his place for the first practice session (FP1).

The Silverstone-based squad has reassured fans through a statement confirming:

“Fernando Alonso is returning to the paddock today and is due to drive in FP2 as planned.”

This weekend is not just another race for Alonso but represents a milestone in his extensive career. As he marks his 400th Grand Prix entry, Alonso has reflected deeply on his journey and the passion that has sustained him. Speaking on the Beyond The Grid podcast, the two-time champion commented:

“To reach 400 now is a big number.

“It’s a way of demonstrating my passion for the sport and for F1.

“Knowing that no one reached that number in the past, maybe someone does in the future, but not many, let’s say a group of five or 10 maximum, it just demonstrates my love for racing, for F1, how much I enjoy this lifestyle, motor racing in general.

“I think that guy in 2001, I was not really thinking too much in the future. The dream was coming alive, driving [in] F1, the first race.

“I didn’t have a clear roadmap into my career. I didn’t know exactly what was the next race, what will be my next team. I was improvising [and] every weekend was a new adventure.

“What I would say is that when I won the championship in 2006 and then I joined McLaren, I had a three-year contract for 2007, ’08 and ’09, and I was 99% sure that 2009 would be my last F1 season.

“That was my very clear plan in my head.”

Alonso is currently in the ninth position in the Drivers’ Standings with 62 points. He sits behind Red Bull driver Sergio Perez in eighth with 150 points but ahead of Haas’s Nico Hulkenberg in tenth with 29