Aston Martin has announced Fernando Alonso will be absent from media day at Formula 1‘s Mexico City Grand Prix, but he hopes to return to compete this weekend.
The Spaniard was poised to miss the opening practice session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez regardless as reserve Felipe Drugovich will sample his AMR24.
However, Alonso has been granted permission to miss out on his Thursday media activities, which included an appearance in the FIA press conference, due to illness.
Fernando Alonso is feeling unwell and will therefore not attend media day at the Mexico City Grand Prix,” Aston Martin stated.
“Fernando is focused on feeling 100% for Friday and his planned return to the AMR24 for Free Practice 2.”
Alonso’s landmark achievement
The weekend’s event will be Alonso’s 400th appearance in an F1 weekend, though his failure to start three previous races means that it won’t be a landmark race start.
“It’s nice to achieve. Obviously, championships and race wins are what matter most to us as drivers but, at the same time, it shows my love for the sport and the discipline I’ve had to perform at a very high level for more than 20 years,” Alonso previewed earlier in the week.
“In that time, I’ve achieved what every racing driver dreams of doing: becoming [a] World Champion.
“And I’ve had some incredible experiences racing against some of the best drivers in the world on the greatest racetracks.
“I don’t think I’ll be adding another 400 to my total, but hopefully I’ve got at least another 40 or 50 more races to come in the next couple of years.”
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