Formula One Vault

Alonso making ‘solid recovery’ after a crash

Fernando Alonso of Spain and McLaren Honda is evacuated from the medical centre to the helicopter after crashing (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Fernando Alonso is making a ‘solid recovery’ after a crash during pre-season testing yesterday but will remain in hospital for further observation.

The Spanard crashed into a wall yesterday at the Circuit de  Barcelona-Catalunya circuit. McLaren says that he is awake and is chatting to family and friends. “In hospital, a thorough and complete analysis of his condition was performed, involving CT scans and MRI scans, all of which were completely normal,” McLaren said.

Alonso crashed at turn three crashing into the  three slamming the right side of his McLaren into the wall. He received first aid at the track’s medical centre and was sedated before being transferred to hospital.

“In order to provide the privacy and tranquillity required to facilitate a peaceful recuperation, he is being kept in hospital for further observation, and to recover from the effects of the medication that successfully managed his routine sedation yesterday,” his team said.

Mclaren says that they have found no evidence of mechanical failure on the car and dismissed rumours that Alonso lost consciousness at the time of the crash because of an electrical discharge in the ERS (Energy Recovery) system.

“Our data clearly shows that he was downshifting while applying full brake pressure right up to the moment of the first impact, something that clearly would not have been possible had he been unconscious at the time,” McLaren said.