Fernando Alonso is to miss the Japanese Grand Prix media day with the birth of his first child imminent.
Alonso and partner Melissa Jimenez announced last year that they were to become parents, with the child's due date clashing with the Suzuka weekend.
The two-time world champion was already set to miss FP1 as he hands his car over to Jak Crawford, with the team now confirming he is to delay his arrival until Friday, where he will be back in the car for FP2.
"Fernando is arriving slightly later this weekend for personal family reasons and won’t be attending media day at the Japanese Grand Prix," read a short team statement.
"All is well, and he will be at the track in time for Friday."
Alonso is to become the fourth father on the F1 grid, after Nico Hulkenberg, Sergio Perez, and Max Verstappen.
Get the latest F1 news from RacingNews365 directly in your Google feed! Click on the link below and you’ll see your favourite F1 website appearing even more often. That way, you’ll never miss any news, analyses, interviews, or exclusives.
Follow RacingNews365 on GoogleMost read
In this article
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..










Join the conversation!