Alonso: “I remember everything!”
Declared fit to race in the Malaysian Grand Prix after his withdrawal from Melbourne following an off-track incident during winter testing, Fernando Alonso reflected on the circumstances of his accident.
“I remember everything!” that’s what Fernando Alonso declared on the sidelines of the Malaysian Grand Prix, regarding his accident at the end of February on the Barcelona track during winter testing, which cost him the first Grand Prix of the season in Australia.
For the McLaren driver, the cause of the accident is clear. It would be a steering issue on his MP4-30, even though telemetry data has not revealed anything so far: « We had a steering problem in the middle of turn 3. It locked to the right. I got closer to the wall, braked at the last moment, and downshifted from fifth to third gear. »
It nonetheless took the Spaniard a few days to precisely remember the incident. The concussion he suffered from the impact temporarily caused him to lose some memories: « We couldn’t say anything for three or four days until I remembered everything. There was talk of the wind theory, and obviously, that wasn’t helpful. There was a lot of pressure during those days, and the initial responses from the team and my manager were conventional. »
Alonso also confirms that he remained conscious during the impact but that he fainted in the ambulance that transported him to the medical center: « It was a sunny morning. I remember my setup changes and all my lap times. Vettel was in front of me before turn 3 but he cut the chicane to let me pass. After the impact, I kissed the wall for a moment then I turned off my radio first because it was on, then I turned off the main switch. I was perfectly aware at that moment. I lost consciousness in the ambulance or at the medical center of the circuit. The doctors said it was normal because of the medications they gave me during the helicopter transport and for the examinations they performed at the hospital, like the MRI for example. It’s the protocol, I needed these medications, it’s normal. »
Fernando Alonso concludes by confirming that it was indeed his car that suffered a malfunction and thus refutes the theories that he might have had a fainting spell before the impact: « It’s clear there was a problem with the car. We haven’t found anything in the data yet, there’s no clear answer at the moment. »
