Formula 1 presented paddock credentials to Fernando Alonso's newborn son, welcoming the baby to the sport's family. The Aston Martin driver shared the gift on Instagram after skipping media duties ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix due to the birth. Alonso described the moment as a super happy occasion.
Fernando Alonso and his partner Melissa Jimenez recently welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Leonard. The birth prompted Alonso to miss his media obligations on Thursday before the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. Speaking to DAZN Spain after the second practice session, Alonso said, “I’m a little jet-lagged because I landed this morning, but here we are. We just finished FP2, and in a few hours it’s time to sleep - I skipped the European night session.” He added, “You never really imagine anything specific. Things just happen as they happen, and there’s a bit of stress and worry about everything going well. Fortunately, it went well, both for the mum and the baby. A super happy, very special moment.” Alonso posted on Instagram Stories about a special delivery from F1 management: paddock credentials for Leonard bearing the message, “Welcome to the F1 family.” The two-time champion captioned it, “Big thanks to F1! First of many.” Fans responded with lighthearted comments, predicting the newborn might race one day and joking about future rivalries involving Alonso. This personal milestone comes during a challenging start to the 2026 season for Aston Martin. The team's new Honda partnership has not yet yielded performance gains, with the AMR26 suffering reliability issues from chassis vibrations. A five-week break precedes the Miami Grand Prix, offering time for fixes.
