Spaniard missing Australian GP after suffering concussion during testing crash at Barcelona last month
Sunday 29 March 2015 07:13, UK
Fernando Alonso is back in training and "giving everything" he can to be ready to return to the cockpit at the Malaysia Grand Prix.
The Spaniard will miss this weekend’s season-opening event in Melbourne after doctors advised against risking a second concussion following his accident during pre-season testing in Barcelona.
“45 min running, 45 swim, 30 gym. #countdown #happy,” Alonso tweeted on Monday, referring to his latest workout as the rest of the field headed to Australia.
McLaren confirmed to Sky Sports last week that the two-time world champion suffered 'temporary memory loss' following his accident and reports in Spain claimed Alonso thought it was 1995 when he woke up.
Doctors advised Alonso not to drive in Melbourne ‘to minimise the chances of second impact syndrome, as is normal medical procedure when treating athletes after concussions’, but the 33-year-old is frustrated not to be competing for his new team at Albert Park.
“Of course, I’m very disappointed not to be joining Jenson in Melbourne in the McLaren-Honda garage, but I understand the recommendations of the doctors and I’m already back in training and preparing for my first race in the MP4-30,” Alonso said.
“I would like to thank everybody for their kind wishes and support and I’ll be giving everything to be back in the cockpit for Malaysia. I wish Kevin all the best for this weekend in Australia, and I know the car is in his safe hands!
“Even though we faced a lot of challenges in the tests, I am very encouraged by the feeling I got from the car, and I’m looking forward to going through all of the data from this weekend with the team to continue our push for development and improve our performance.”
Kevin Magnussen, who Alonso has replaced at McLaren for 2015, will stand in for Alonso this weekend. The Malaysia GP will be held on the weekend of March 27-29.
