Official: Alonso out for the Australian Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso will not participate in the first Grand Prix of the season in Australia in two weeks. The Spanish driver, who was involved in an off-track incident and a lateral contact with the wall during a winter testing day in Barcelona on February 22, has to withdraw according to his doctors’ advice.

McLaren announced in a statement that he would be replaced by Kevin Magnussen. The team reassured about the health of the double world champion by specifying that he has no worrying symptoms or neurological or cardiac issues.

The force of the impact and the more than 25G sustained by the Spaniard compel the medical teams to be cautious and make this decision in agreement with the driver and his team, as McLaren stated in a press release today: Having carried out a complete series of tests and analyses – including some as recently as last night – the doctors have informed Fernando Alonso and his McLaren-Honda team that they find him asymptomatic of any medical issue; that they see no evidence of an injury; and that they therefore describe him as entirely healthy from a neurological and cardiac standpoint.

However, Fernando’s doctors have recommended that, following the concussion he suffered in an accident during testing in Barcelona on February 22nd, he should limit environmental risk factors as much as possible that could potentially result in another concussion so soon after his previous one, in order to minimize the chances of second impact syndrome, which is a normal medical procedure in the treatment of athletes after concussions.

In order to limit these environmental risk factors, in particular, his doctors have stated that he should not participate in the Australian Grand Prix, which will take place from March 13 to 15.

Fernando understood and accepted this advice, and the two McLaren-Honda cars will therefore be driven in Australia by his teammate Jenson Button and reserve driver Kevin Magnussen.

However, Alonso is expected to return to competition at the Malaysian Grand Prix: Fernando’s doctors acknowledge that he feels fit and well, and he considers himself ready for the race, and, as this is the case, the doctors are comfortable with the fact that he has already resumed physical training, with the aim of preparing for a return at the Malaysian Grand Prix from March 27 to 29. Indeed, his doctors are supportive of this goal, as they are satisfied that the driver has suffered no harm from his accident.