The season hasn't started as they expected at Silverstone. The AMR26 has gone two races without seeing the checkered flag with either of its two cars, a start that hits hard for a project that had generated high expectations after the signings of Adrian Newey and Enrico Cardile, in addition to the new alliance with Honda as engine manufacturer. Reliability issues, lack of cornering speed and battery management are some of the headaches they've had from the very beginning.

Alonso had already warned that every session would be key to continue gathering information from a car that still hasn't found its direction. His absence on Thursday won't affect his participation in practice, but for a team that needs to add kilometers and understand what works and what doesn't, missing a day of media work is the least of their problems. The urgent thing is for the car to start responding.

The British team made the news official with a brief message: "Fernando will arrive a little later this weekend due to family reasons and will not attend the Japanese Grand Prix media day. Everything is in order and he will be at the track in time for Friday." It's about the birth of his son, news that the Spaniard had kept private and that explained the reason for his delay in arriving at Suzuka.

Honda will have extra pressure at Suzuka. The Japanese engine is under the microscope after a start where reliability issues were the constant. The cancellation of the Middle Eastern races gave them an unexpected breather, but now at home they need to show progress. Alonso knows the project is long term but also that in Formula 1, timelines shorten when results don't come.

Aston Martin will use the weekend to keep testing solutions. In the first practice sessions, Jak Crawford will replace the Spaniard to give him a break and gather data with another driver. The main goal is to finish the race, something they still haven't achieved so far this season. Without kilometers, there's no development, and without development, there's no way out of the hole.

Alonso's absence on Thursday passed quickly but highlighted a weekend where everything surrounding Aston Martin is under scrutiny. The team needs to show signs of life at Suzuka, and the Spaniard, when he arrives on Friday, will have to take the helm of a ship that for now is adrift. The track will tell if there's room for optimism or if the crisis deepens even further.