Alonso struck down by illness ahead of Mexico City GP: when will he return?
The Spanish driver didn’t join Charles Leclerc and Guanyu Zhou on media day. Aston Martin are focusing on getting him back to 100% for Free Practice 2 on Friday.
Fernando Alonso was unable to attend the media at the Hermanos Rodríguez circuit on Thursday after coming down with an illness. Alonso had been due to oin Charles Leclerc and Guanyu Zhou in a press conference at 2pm local time.
Aston Martin confirmed his absence in a statement and the priority of the team and the driver is now to be 100% fit for the second free practice session on Friday. “Fernando Alonso is feeling unwell and will therefore not attend media day at the #MexicoGP. Fernando is focused on feeling 100% for Friday and his planned return to the AMR24 for Free Practice 2”.
Drugovich to be given debut run-out
The Spaniard will not take part in the first practice session of the because Felipe Drugovich, the team’s test driver, was already scheduled to get into the AMR24. The team was initially going to give the Brazilian the first practice session at Monza, but with the recent resurfacing of the circuit they preferred that Fernando drive and add more kilometres on the new surface.
The 24-year-old will complete his first laps at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, in a session which corresponds to the rule that Formula 1 introduced a few years ago, by which the official drivers have to give up their seat to the rookies in order to contest two FP1 sessions each season with their cars. Drugovich’s second appearance will take place later in the the season at one of the four remaining races (São Paulo, Las Vegas, Qatar or the Abu Dhabi).
“It’s exciting to give Felipe this opportunity to drive the AMR24 during Free Practice in Mexico. Felipe is a regular on our simulator at Silverstone, contributing detailed feedback to the development of this car and it will be a rewarding experience for him to get out on track in Mexico. He will work within the team’s running plan, gather vital data for our decision-making and help with the set-up of the car,” Aston Martin boss Mike Krack said of the rookie’s outing.
It won’t be a big loss for Alonso: in Mexico, Free Practice 2 will last 90 minutes instead of the usual hour so that the teams can test the Pirelli prototypes planned for 2025. So his run will not be limited to just one hour of practice before Saturday. Although it is true that Aston Martin still has work to do to evaluate and optimize the developments they mounted, without success, last week in Austin.