Alonso to skip Belgian GP FP1 as Aston Martin hands seat to rookie Jak Crawford

Fernando Alonso won’t be on track for Free Practice 1 at the Belgian Grand Prix this Friday, July 17 (7:30 a.m. ET). Aston Martin is giving his AMR26 seat to Jak Crawford, the team’s reserve driver who already filled in for Lance Stroll during the Austrian GP.

The move is part of the mandatory rookie‑running program every team must complete before the end of the season — and Aston Martin has chosen to get it done one race before its long‑awaited upgrade package arrives.

Crawford’s previous outing in the AMR26 at the Red Bull Ring was surprisingly solid: he finished 20th, ahead of both Checo Pérez and Alonso. The 2025 Formula 2 runner‑up now gets another chance to gather data for the engineers, this time at Spa‑Francorchamps, one of the most iconic circuits in Formula 1 history.

Upgrades on the way

The Belgian GP is the final race before Alonso and Stroll receive the major upgrades Adrian Newey has prepared to try to rescue what has been a difficult season for Aston Martin. But before heading to Hungary, the team faces a challenging weekend at Spa.

Alonso will finally jump into the car for Free Practice 2, scheduled for Friday, July 17 at 11:30 AM ET.

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