A day after Fernando Alonso was airlifted to hospital following his crash on the final day of the second pre-season test, the McLaren F1 team have revealed that it was the very windy conditions that caused the Spaniards crash.
Alonso suffered from a concussion and earlier today it was announced that he was in the intensive care unit while further tests were being conducted. A while later Alonso’s agent Luis Garcia Abad tweeted a picture of a smiling Alonso sitting up in his hospital bed giving the thumbs up.
McLaren released a statement saying that the crash was caused because of the strong winds. This story was corroborated by Carlos Sainz Jr who also ran wide and crashed into the barrier at T3/T4.
“His car ran wide at the entry to Turn Three – which is a fast uphill right-hander – allowing it to run onto the Astroturf that lines the outside of the track,” read the statement
“A consequent loss of traction caused a degree of instability, spitting it back towards the inside of the circuit, where it regained traction and struck the wall side-on.”
“Our findings indicate that the accident was caused by the unpredictably gusty winds at that part of the circuit at that time, and which had affected other drivers similarly”
“We can categorically state that there is no evidence that indicates that Fernando’s car suffered mechanical failure of any kind.”
“We can also confirm that absolutely no loss of aerodynamic pressure was recorded, which fact indicates that the car did not suffer any aerodynamic loss, despite the fact that it was subjected to a significant level of g-force.”
McLaren have been quiet about the cause of the crash which lead to many theories as to why Alonso may have crashed. The statement from Vettel did not help much when he said that the car veered to the right all of a sudden, further fueling speculation. One of the rumors doing the rounds was that Alonso suffered an electrical shock before crashing. Another one stated that he was overcome by the fumes from the batteries.
The statement from McLaren debunks these rumors.
“We can also disclose that no electrical discharge or irregularity of any kind occurred in the car’s ERS system, either before, during or after the incident,” it added.
“That last point refutes the erroneous rumours that have spread recently to the effect that Fernando was rendered unconscious by an electrical fault. That is simply not true.
“Our data clearly shows that he was downshifting while applying full brake pressure right up to the moment of the first impact – something that clearly would not have been possible had he been unconscious at the time.
“Our data also confirms that Fernando’s car struck the inside concrete wall, first with its front-right wheel and then with its rear-right. It was a significant lateral impact, resulting in damage to the front upright and axle.
“After the initial impact, the car slid down the wall for about 15 seconds before coming to a halt. All four wheels remained attached to the car, but no damage was sustained by the bodywork or crash structure between the front and rear wheels.”
It is still unclear if Alonso will drive for the team for the final test at the Catalunya Circuit as he is still being kept at the hospital.
