Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso To Miss Hungarian GP Practice Due To Injury
Alonso attended Thursday's media duties and pre-event preparations at the Hungaroring, 22 years after his first F1 victory at the Budapest circuit.
However, ahead of the initial on-track session, Aston Martin issued a statement confirming the Spaniard would not participate in FP1 because of a persistent injury.
Felipe Drugovich, Aston Martin's test and reserve driver and former F2 champion, has been called up to replace Alonso for first practice. Further updates on the plan for the rest of the weekend are expected.
The team's statement read, 'In the days following the Belgian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso has been managing a muscular injury in his back. As he continues with treatment this morning, he has chosen to sit out of FP.
'Felipe Drugovich will drive in FP1 alongside Lance Stroll. A decision will then be made on Fernando's participation in FP2 and the remainder of the weekend in due course."
In 2003, the Spaniard sustained a bruised elbow, knee, and thigh after a major crash at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Worse than that, Alonso experienced temporary memory loss following a crash during pre-season testing in 2015 for McLaren, forcing him to miss the first race of the season. Despite this, McLaren stated that Alonso's doctors found 'no evidence whatsoever of any injury."
In 2016, Alonso endured a severe crash at the Australian Grand Prix when he collided with Haas driver Esteban Gutierrez, flipping over into the gravel and fracturing his ribs, which caused him to miss the next race in Bahrain.
In 2021, Alonso was involved in a road accident while cycling in Switzerland over the winter but was fit enough to return for the season.
In March of this year, Alonso revealed he was racing with a neck injury due to a 'pinched nerve" after the Australian Grand Prix.
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