Fernando Alonso crash: McLaren-Honda driver suffers a concussion following testing incident that saw him airlifted to hospital
The accident happened on the final day of pre-season testing in Barcelona
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Fernando Alonso was taken to hospital by helicopter after crashing in his McLaren during the final day of pre-season testing today, but has escaped serious injury after suffering a concussion.
Track officials at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit stated Alonso went off at turn three and hit the wall. They said he was transported to hospital "to continue with medical tests" after being treated at the circuit medical center.
The 33-year-old Spaniard was moved away from the track by ambulance after the incident, which occurred just before turn four at the Circuit de Catalunya. It is unclear whether Alonso made a mistake or something broke on the car.
McLaren said Alonso was "conscious". His adviser Luis Garcia Abad added on Twitter that the driver was "OK".
That diagnosis was later confirmed by McLaren, with a spokesperson stating that scans had shown Alonso has no injuries. It was determined that the former Ferrari driver would stay in hospital overnight "as a precaution" having suffered a concussion.
McLaren issued a statement saying the two-time world champion was conscious and had spoken to doctors, and racing director Eric Boullier was later able to give a positive update on Alonso's condition.
The Spaniard had CT and MRI scans that were both clear but was due to be kept in hospital for 24 hours.
Boullier was keen to quash speculation about what caused the crash, saying on the McLaren website: "Fernando's accident was just one of those things that happens in testing.
"Fortunately, he's fine, but was concussed during the accident, which therefore required an overnight stay in hospital as a precaution. That's normal practice after a concussion.
"Inevitably, some media reports have sought to exaggerate the severity of the incident - it was just a normal testing accident."
McLaren has been plagued by technical problems this pre-season after switching to Honda engines ahead of the upcoming season.
"While the car wasn't particularly badly damaged, it was enough of an impact to warrant quite a lengthy check of the gearbox and power unit systems," Boullier added.
"Given the time needed to carry out such an analysis, we decided to bring the curtain down on our test a few hours earlier than anticipated.
"It's been a tough week for the whole team, but we'll be back, and pushing harder than ever, in Barcelona next week."
Ferrari, the two-time champion's former team, tweeted "All the best Fernando."
Additional reporting by PA
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments