Aston Martin issue Fernando Alonso injury update after FP1 absence

While Fernando Alonso is absent from the opening practice session at the Hungarian Grand Prix, confidence is high of a swift return to the cockpit.

Aston Martin announced that Alonso would miss the opening hour of practice at the Hungaroring due to a muscular injury in his back, but Aston Martin’s chief trackside officer Mike Krack confirmed confidence is high that Alonso will be back in the car for FP2.

Fernando Alonso Hungarian GP injury: A brief absence?

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Formula 1 quickly moved on from Spa-Francorchamps to the Hungaroring, part two of the double-header to take the season into its summer break, but between the destinations, Alonso picked up a back injury, one which meant he was benched for FP1, with reserve driver Felipe Drugovich taking his place.

Ahead of that opening session, Krack provided an update on Alonso’s Hungarian GP status.

“Fernando developed this small muscular problem after Spa,” he told the media, including PlanetF1.com.

“With the intensity of our calendar, there is never enough recovery time. Even for sleep, sometimes, there’s not enough recovery time because you have to travel. So I think that is one of the issues.

“So we elected to just increase the recovery time and drop out of FP1, which is normally the least important session, and the plan is to have Fernando in the car from FP2 onwards.”

Asked how much of a difference that will make with just a few hours between sessions, Krack clarified: “I don’t think it’s the hours, it’s probably more the lower amount of laps, you know, rather than the hours.

“We have obviously made some modifications in his seating position. We have checked some stuff yesterday, how to make it more comfortable for him. So we’re quite confident that he will be fine.”

Latest F1 2025 head-to-head standings from PlanetF1.com

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

While 2022 Formula 2 champion Drugovich is yet to make a grand prix start, his Hungary FP1 appearance does not count as a rookie driver session, with each driver mandated to give their FP1 seat up to a rookie twice per season, totalling four times per team.

Drugovich will carry out the run plan which Alonso was going to be tasked with, and Aston Martin has no concerns over the results which they will receive.

“Changing drivers is quite straightforward,” said Krack. “Especially they are not substantially different in size. And considering we have run Felipe many, many times already, also for an afternoon session or changing a morning session, and he did some FP1s as well.

“So the change from the two race drivers to Felipe is always very straightforward. We have everything prepared.

“And I think also when it comes then to the driving, Felipe is very robust, very reliable. He will run the same programme as Fernando was intended to, because we will get super quality results, and then we see how we go.”

Read next: Aston Martin valued at £2.4billion as car company sells out of F1