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McLaren’s Fernando Alonso was kept in hospital overnight after crashing heavily on the final day of Formula One’s second pre-season test in Barcelona on Sunday.
The Spaniard, a double world champion returning to McLaren this season after five years at Ferrari, was concussed when the car hit the wall on the exit of the 240kph Turn Three at the Circuit de Catalunya.
The 33-year-old, who was conscious and talking after the impact, was taken to the medical centre for initial treatment before being airlifted to hospital where he had CT and MRI scans.
McLaren racing director Eric Boullier played down the severity of the crash, however, and said it 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,” added the Frenchman. “That’s normal practice after a concussion.”
The team did not say whether the crash was a result of a driver error or a malfunction of the car, which has had a troubled start to the year with McLaren, partly-owned by Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat, starting a new partnership with Honda.
Alonso’s British team mate Jenson Button had been due to test in the afternoon but McLaren decided to call it a day with the car requiring lengthy checks of the gearbox and power unit systems.
Alonso had completed just 20 laps before the accident.
