Alonso crash clouds opening race
AS Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg extend their Formula One title rivalry and Mercedes’s dominance into a second season at the Australian Grand Prix today, the heavy crash during testing last month that led to Fernando Alonso suffering temporary memory loss continues to dog the sport.
Alonso’s manager, Flavio Briatore, has fuelled speculation surrounding the Spaniard’s testing accident, describing it as “very strange”, while questioning McLaren’s claim that nothing went wrong with the car.
Briatore, formerly team principal of Renault, attempted to quash worries about Alonso’s health, but appeared to point the finger of blame at McLaren for the crash that put the 33-year-old out of today’s race. He also described McLaren’s communications throughout the whole affair as “not brilliant”.
“He crashes without any reason,” Briatore told Italian television. “It was not even that dramatic. The impact was not so hard. We have to see if there was a steering problem.
“We have not had any information on that from McLaren. The accident, if you see it, you do not say: ‘ Mamma mia, what a crash!’ It is the sort of accident you see all the time.”
McLaren said they found no evidence that mechanical failure — including rumours of an electric shock — had anything to do with Alonso’s crash on February 22 at the Circuit de Catalunya.
All that is known about Alonso’s medical condition is that he suffered a concussion that was sufficient to put him out of the season-opening race in Melbourne. But the absence of information has triggered speculation that the two-time champion may also be suffering from a mystery illness.
Reports in Spain last week said that when Alonso was released from hospital after the accident he had forgotten the last 20 years of his life. El Pais, the newspaper in question, is close to Alonso’s management, but Briatore rubbished their claims.
Meanwhile, Formula One governing body FIA are seeking further information from the McLaren team about the crash.
Last month McLaren blamed gusting winds for the crash and firmly denied that mechanical failure had played a part. The team conceded that Alonso had suffered a temporary loss of memory, but had recovered.
Alonso joked about his condition on Twitter. — ©