Alonso has had a difficult start to the season with Aston Martin Fernando Alonso is to miss media day at the Japanese Grand Prix on Thursday because he is travelling to the race late following the birth of his first child. Aston Martin said on Wednesday that the two-time world champion was "arriving slightly later this weekend for personal family reasons". The team declined to give any further details but BBC Sport has confirmed that it is because Alonso's partner Melissa Jimenez has had their first baby. Alonso, 44, prefers to keep his personal life private and no further information has been made public. The team added: "All is well and he will be at the track in time for Friday." How to follow Japanese Grand Prix on the BBC Has Aston Martin's Newey team principal project failed? F1 Q&A Alonso, who is in the final year of his contract with Aston Martin and has not said whether he wants to stay in F1 beyond 2026, is not due to take part in Friday's first practice session.…