The reigning world champion is currently stranded in the pits as McLaren and its engine partner Mercedes race to replace a faulty battery.
There is a chance he could make an appearance before the end of the session, however at a minimum he will lose most of the crucial pre-qualifying practice.
“There’s a chance [he’ll get out],” said McLaren CEO Zak Brown. “[But] definitely going lose a lot of the session here.
“It is a battery issue. Mercedes HPP is replacing that now. The team is going to have to push pretty hard, because it takes a while.”
This latest setback follows McLaren’s sensational double DNS at the Chinese GP where both cars were affected by electronic issues on the power unit.
“[This is] a battery problem; I don’t know if it’s the same problem, but it’s a battery issue,” added Brown. “I’m not yet briefed on whether technically it is the identical issue or not.”
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