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Fernando Alonso skips Japanese GP media day: family joy takes precedence over racing

Redação by Redação
March 25, 2026
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0

In a stunning twist of events, two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso has made headlines by opting to skip the media day for the highly anticipated Japanese Grand Prix. The reason? A monumental life event—the birth of his first child! Alonso and his partner, Melissa Jimenez, previously announced their impending parenthood, and it seems the moment has arrived just in time for the Suzuka race weekend.

Alonso’s decision to delay his arrival at Suzuka until Friday rather than Thursday underscores the significance of family over racing, a poignant reminder that even the fiercest competitors have personal lives that take precedence. Aston Martin has confirmed the news, stating, “Fernando is arriving slightly later this weekend for personal family reasons and won’t be attending media day at the Japanese Grand Prix. All is well and he will be at the track in time for Friday.”

However, Alonso's absence from the media spotlight isn’t the only story brewing for Aston Martin. The team is grappling with a rocky start to the 2026 season, struggling with the troublesome AMR26 car. Alonso will hand over his seat for the first practice session to Aston Martin reserve driver Jak Crawford, a mandated rookie outing that highlights the team's ongoing challenges.

The pressure is mounting as Aston Martin sits at the bottom of the championship standings, still searching for their first points of the season. Their Honda power unit has been plagued by persistent battery failures linked to excessive vibrations, leaving the team with limited running time in both testing and races. Despite a glimmer of hope following reduced vibrations in the previous race in China, Honda’s trackside general manager, Shintaro Orihara, admitted, “We made some progress in terms of battery reliability thanks to a reduction in the vibration affecting the systems, but we must find more solutions to establish the cause of the vibrations affecting the drivers.”

As the team faces an uphill battle in performance and reliability, the upcoming Suzuka circuit—known for its demanding layout—poses further complications. Orihara elaborated, “We have also focused our efforts in the gap between China and Japan to continue to improve our reliability, but still our performance is not where we want it to be, especially regarding energy management.”

Adding to the turmoil, the management structure within Aston Martin is in flux. Reports have surfaced that Adrian Newey is set to step down as team principal just three months after taking on the role. He is expected to be replaced by Jonathan Wheatley, who recently departed from Audi, further stirring the pot within the beleaguered team.

As Alonso prepares to embrace fatherhood and tackle the challenges ahead at Suzuka, the stakes have never been higher for Aston Martin. Will the team turn their fortunes around as they navigate both personal milestones and professional hurdles? Only time will tell as the Japanese Grand Prix weekend unfolds.

Tags: Aston MartinFernando Alonsoformula-1-en
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