adminMCLAREN driver Fernando Alonso was supposed have had further medical checks yesterday before doctors could decide whether to release him from hospital or not.The two-time world champion, 33, is in intensive care after crashing during testing in Barcelona on Sunday. Alonso suffered concussion in the accident at the Circuit de Catalunya but is “fine”, according to McLaren.
He hit the wall on the exit of the 150mph Turn Three but Sebastian Vettel estimated his speed at around 90mph. The four-time champion, now driving for Ferrari, was following the Spaniard at the time of the accident, which he described as “strange”.
Alonso’s presence in intensive care is normal in such circumstances and no reason for concern, sources said.
“He is well and I don’t think there will be any problems,” Alonso’s manager, Luis Garcia Abad, told Spanish media on Sunday.
“The impact was quite strong but fortunately it was nothing. He was conscious and able to speak.”
Garcia Abad also dismissed reports that Alonso had been feeling dizzy prior to the crash.
“I deny that Fernando was feeling unwell prior to the incident,” he said. “The car had grip, there was tremendous wind and he went into the wall. The rest is speculation.
“The car telemetry has stated that he was correcting from left to right. Fernando was hitting the brake and changing gears until the moment of impact.”
McLaren have given no information on what caused the crash, which happened at 12:35 local time on Sunday, shortly before the lunch break on the final day of the second of three pre-season tests. He was airlifted to hospital where CT and MRI scans were carried out.
McLaren racing director Eric Boullier said: “Fernando’s accident was just one of those things that happens in testing.
“Fortunately, he’s fine, but was concussed during the accident, which therefore required an overnight stay. While the car wasn’t particularly badly damaged, it was enough of an impact to warrant quite a lengthy check of the gearbox and power unit systems.
“Given the time needed to carry out such an analysis, we decided to bring the curtain down on our test a few hours earlier than anticipated.”
German Vettel said the crash was unusual. “The speed was slow, maybe 150kph,” he said. “Then he turned right into the wall. It looked strange.”
Alonso left Ferrari at the end of last season, negotiating an exit from his contract two years early, because he believed McLaren and new engine partner Honda gave him a better chance of winning a third world title.
But McLaren’s preparations have been troubled, with repeated engine reliability problems restricting their mileage in testing. — BBC Sport
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