Mike Krack: Alonso will return to the wheel in the second practice session.

      On Friday morning, Aston Martin announced that Fernando Alonso would miss the first practice session to continue treating his back injury. Shortly thereafter, the team’s race director, Mike Crack, shared details.

      Mike Crack: "The muscle problem in Fernando's back arose after Spa. With such a tight schedule and a busy race calendar, there isn’t enough time for recovery, sometimes not even for sleep, as we have to travel a lot.

      This is one of the issues. We decided to increase recovery time and skip the first physical activity, which is usually the least important.

      It is planned that Fernando will return to the wheel for the second practice session. We adjusted the seat and cockpit fit to make his life more comfortable. We are confident that everything will be fine with Fernando."