McLaren has confirmed that Fernando Alonso is “uninjured and fine” following an accident during F1 pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya today.
The Spaniard crashed in his McLaren MP4-30 between turns three and four on the circuit towards the end of the afternoon session on Sunday, requiring medical attention.
Spokespersons from the FIA and McLaren confirmed that Alonso was conscious and talking, but was then airlifted to a nearby hospital for medical checks.
“Today at 12:35 CET, while testing at the Circuit de Catalunya (Barcelona), during the fourth and final day of the current test, Fernando Alonso’s McLaren-Honda car left the track at turn three, causing the right-hand side of his car to strike the wall,” a statement from the the team read.
“Fernando was driven to the circuit’s Medical Centre where the circuit’s doctors gave him first aid. ‘He was conscious and spoke with the doctors.
“However, as per usual procedure in such circumstances, he was then airlifted to hospital where he is undergoing precautionary checks. We will issue a further update in due course.”
The team confirmed one hour later that Alonso was “uninjured and fine” following a CT scan at the local hospital.
The Spaniard had completed 20 laps in the morning session for the team and was set to hand the car over to teammate Jenson Button for the afternoon in Barcelona. However, McLaren opted to end its programme early as a result of the incident.
Alonso’s accident brought the morning running to an early end, and the start to the afternoon session was delayed by 15 minutes as a result of the incident.
His manager, Luis Garcia Abad, has tweeted that the Spaniard is “ok and conscious”, and thanked fans for their concern.
Fernando está bien y consciente. Muchas gracias por vuestro interés. Fernando is OK and conscious. Thank you !
— Luis Garcia Abad (@lsgrcbd) February 22, 2015
The team has declined to comment on the cause of the accident, and will issue further updates on Alonso’s condition as necessary.
