Fernando Alonso will sit out Free Practice 1 at Formula 1's Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, with Aston Martin's third driver Jak Crawford driving the AMR26 instead. The move complies with F1 regulations mandating rookie driver sessions. Crawford, last year's F2 runner-up, expressed excitement for the opportunity.
Aston Martin is among the first teams to fulfill Formula 1's sporting regulations, which require each team to run a rookie driver with at most two grand prix starts on four occasions this season—two per car—typically during FP1 sessions. Racing Bulls has already done so with newcomer Arvid Lindblad. This marks Crawford's third FP1 outing for Aston Martin, following sessions in Mexico and Abu Dhabi last year. He is currently the team's third driver during a racing-less campaign after finishing as F2 runner-up last year. Reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne, a two-season McLaren veteran from a decade ago, and academy driver Mari Boya, who is debuting in F2, were not selected for this slot. Crawford said: “I’m really excited to get behind the wheel and drive for the team at Suzuka. It’s such a historic yet demanding circuit, and I can’t wait to apply what I’ve learned in the simulator to real track conditions. A big thank you to the team for giving me this opportunity. As with my previous FP1 sessions, I’m looking forward to making the most of it and learning as much as I can.” Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack added: “It’s great that we’re able to give Jak another opportunity in FP1 as part of our ongoing commitment to developing young talent. He has been working hard, especially in the simulator back at Silverstone, and this session will allow him to continue building valuable track experience. It’s an important opportunity for him to keep progressing, while also contributing to the team by gathering useful data and feedback.” The Japanese Grand Prix comes amid challenges for Aston Martin, as the AMR26 powertrain suffers from vibrations that damage batteries and prevent completing full race distances. After the Shanghai race, Alonso noted: “Now we have two weeks, so we need more time in the dyno. We need to give Honda more time to understand the vibrations and where they come from. And probably we fix the battery isolation [from vibrations]. All in all, we need to give Honda more time.”
