Kin Shields will replace Alonso in the first practice in Abu Dhabi.

      Aston Martin announced a driver change for the first free practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Formula 2 driver Kin Shields will replace Fernando Alonso at the wheel of the AMR25.

      In the practice session the 20-year-old British driver will join Jack Crawford, who, as was confirmed earlier, will replace Lance Stroll in the same session.

      For Shields this will be his Formula 1 race weekend debut. Over the course of the season Kin has done extensive work on the Aston Martin simulator and covered 500 kilometres in tests as part of the TPC (Testing of a Previous Car) programme.

      Kin Shields: "I am very grateful to Aston Martin for the opportunity to take part in the first free practice session. Working with the team this year, I have learned a lot both on the simulator and during the TPC tests. It's great that I will now be trusted to pilot the AMR25 during the race weekend. I look forward to contributing to the team's work on Friday and will try to make the most of this experience."