Aston Martin has revealed that Fernando Alonso’s decision to miss FP1 at the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix was taken early to prioritise his recovery.
The Spaniard is sitting out Friday’s opening session in Budapest due to a muscular back issue sustained after last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, with Felipe Drugovich stepping in.
Aston Martin Trackside Officer Mike Krack explained the reasoning behind the move and addressed comparisons to Lance Stroll’s withdrawal in Spain earlier this year.
“No, I think they are always completely separate factors,” Krack told media including Motorsport Week.
“Fernando developed a small muscular problem after Spa. With the intensity of our calendar, there is never enough recovery time.
“Even for sleep sometimes, there is not enough recovery time because you have to travel.
“I think that is one of the issues. We elected to increase the recovery time and drop out FP1, which is normally the least important session.
“The plan is to have Fernando in the car from FP2 onwards.”
Krack remained confident Alonso will be ready for Sunday, emphasising that comfort and preparation have taken precedence over mileage.
“I don’t think it’s the hours, it’s probably the lower amount of laps rather than the hours,” he added.
“The Grand Prix is long. Yeah, the Grand Prix is long. If you think about the number of laps, it’s going to be a long afternoon.
“We have obviously made some modifications. He is fit in position. We have checked some stuff yesterday, how to make him more comfortable. We are quite confident.”
Aston Martin switch ‘straightforward’ thanks to Drugovich’s experience
Krack also downplayed the challenge of slotting Drugovich into Alonso’s car for FP1, highlighting the Brazilian’s familiarity with the team and consistent performance in past sessions.
“No, actually it’s more the application of how you run the same test programme and how you adjust these kind of things,” he explained when asked about the preparation needed.
“Changing drivers is quite straightforward, especially as they are not substantially different in size.
“Considering we have run Felipe many, many times already, also for an afternoon session or changing in the morning session, and he did some FP1s as well.
“The change from the two race drivers to Felipe is always very straightforward. We have everything prepared.
“I think also when it comes to the driving, Felipe is very robust, very reliable.
“He will run the same programme as Fernando was intended to because we get super quality results. Then we’ll see how we go on.”
READ MORE – Fernando Alonso’s F1 Hungarian GP participation in doubt due to back injury
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