Alonso to miss Melbourne

McLaren’s pre-season woes have continued after it has been confirmed that returning driver and double world champion Fernando Alonso is set to miss the season opener in Melbourne. Having crashed at 134 mph whilst testing in Barcelona on the 22^nd of February, he was knocked unconscious in the accident. The cause of which has been put down to a high gust of wind at turns 3 and 4. Any mechanical fault has been entirely ruled out.

The aftermath of Alonso's crash

Despite having subsequently released a video to his fans stating that he is fine, as a result of Alonso’s three nights in hospital he has been advised to miss the race in Australia. The medical advice is on the grounds that another trauma to his head within 21 days would result in ‘secondary impact syndrome’. Following this, McLaren released a statement saying, “the team confirmed doctors had advised Alonso not to drive in the season-opening race ‘to minimise the chances of second impact syndrome, as is normal medical procedure when treating athletes after concussions”. This measure is merely precautionary as Alonso was reported to have sustained no injury nor to suffer from any abnormalities post-accident.

This is not the first time a similar protocol has been observed. Take Perez for example, who opted to sit out the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix after suffering concussion resulting from heavy impact in Monaco. Concussion has been under scrutiny in sport in recent months, especially football and rugby. (George North is a prime example)

A result of this news reserve driver, and last season’s McLaren debutant, Kevin Magnussen will be lining up on the grid in place of the side-lined Spaniard. Magnussen, who finished 11^th in the 2014 drivers’ standings, has had a brief opportunity to acquaint himself with the 2015 McLaren MP4-30 after having been drafted in to replace Alonso for the final day of testing. But beyond those 39 laps Magnussen has no experience in the car and will have approached the winter with the mentality of not racing in Formula 1 this season.

Magnussen (Left) to replace Alonso (Centre) for Australia

Despite what must be devastating news for Alonso, he had already turned his attention to training for Malaysia where he is set to return to the driver’s seat.