Fernando Alonso will miss his media day obligations at the Mexico City Grand Prix through illness, but is aiming to drive in Friday practice as he celebrates his 400th Formula 1 grand prix.
The Spaniard was due to miss the opening free practice session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in any case, as reserve driver Felipe Drugovich is pencilled in to drive in his stead to satisfy the rule over young drivers being given running in FP1.
However, Alonso will not take part in Thursday’s media activities, where he was due to appear in the second press conference session with Charles Leclerc and Zhou Guanyu.
A team statement from Aston Martin read: “Fernando Alonso is feeling unwell and will therefore not attend media day at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
“Fernando is focused on feeling 100% for Friday and his planned return to the AMR24 for Free Practice 2.”
Although the Mexico race is Alonso’s 400th race weekend as a Formula 1 driver, it is not until Qatar where he will celebrate his 400th start.
The Spaniard failed to start in the 2001 Belgian Grand Prix, the 2005 US Grand Prix (in which all Michelin runners pitted after the formation lap) and the 2017 Russian Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Currently on 399 race entries, Alonso is some way ahead of the next most experienced drivers in Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton, while former holder Rubens Barrichello is fourth on the all-time list with 326 entries.
“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 said of his milestone.
“In that time, I’ve achieved what every racing driver dreams of doing: becoming 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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