Alonso shrugs off back injury after strong return in FP2

Fernando Alonso has confirmed he’s fit to continue racing this weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix after sitting out Friday’s first practice session with a minor back injury.

Aston Martin announced mid-day on Friday reserve driver Felipe Drugovich would take Alonso’s place in FP1 as a precaution. But the 44-year-old was back behind the wheel for the second session and completed his running without discomfort.

Overall, the Silverstone-based outfit enjoyed a solid opening day at the Hungaroring with Lance Stroll and Alonso concluding FP2 respectively P4 and P5, half a second behind McLaren pace-setter Lando Norris.

“It’s the same as yesterday. It’s going to be like this the whole weekend,” Alonso said after FP2.

“I have a small injury on my muscle at the back of the lumbar area. I need some rest but the summer break is coming. It’s another two days of managing the comfort with the seat.

“Always you have small pain, discomfort here and there. We did an MRI last week to just check properly and we saw a small, small injury on the muscles.

“We found, yesterday, different solutions with airpads and other things that are working fine. Today I had no pain in FP2 so that’s positive.

“Obviously, if you’re a normal person you will sit a little bit for two weeks. I think it’s manageable. I don’t feel pain in the car which is the most important thing.”

Back in Business

Alonso’s return wasn’t about making up the numbers; it was a competitive outing as he joined Stroll in FP2 in putting Aston Martin firmly in the mix for Q3 contention this weekend — a marked improvement in form for the Silverstone-based team.

“FP2 felt good in the car,” he added. “The balance of the car isn't quite in the window yet and that's something we need to work on overnight. We'll review all of the data and we'll see what we can do tomorrow."

On the other side of the Aston Martin garage, Stroll was delighted to kick off his weekend on a strong note.

“The timesheets looked positive today – the car felt good and I was happy with the car balance during both practice sessions,” he said.

"So a good start to the weekend, but it's always hard to tell on a Friday where you stand compared to your competitors."

• Hungarian Grand Prix Free Practice 2 - Results

As the weekend progresses, Alonso’s ability to race pain-free in FP2 offers reassurance to both the team and his fans.

With various solutions improving his comfort in the cockpit, the Spaniard is poised to continue his relentless pursuit of points, undeterred by the minor injury that briefly kept him on the sidelines on Friday.

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