While McLaren is seeking to put the nightmare years of 2015 - 2017 well and truly behind it, the Woking outfit's pre-season test didn't get off to the best start this morning when Fernando Alonso spun off into the gravel trap at the final corner.

While McLaren has yet to reveal the cause of the spin - merely tweeting that "we'll be back out on track soon - just need to remove that pesky gravel" - it would appear that the Spaniard suffered some sort of issue with the wheelnut on his right-rear.

Clearly perplexed by the incident, once out of the car, now missing its right-rear wheel, the Spaniard spent some time looking at the rear of the car before heading back to the pits holding what appeared to be the retaining point which according to some reports had sheared.

McLaren subsequently confirmed that a wheelnut issues was the cause of Alonso's spin, adding that the car will not be back on track until this afternoon having incurred damage in the incident.

At the time of the spin, which resulted in the first red flag of the year, Alonso, who had completed six laps, was second on the timesheets, with Valtteri Bottas (inevitably) leading the way.

Check out our Monday gallery from Barcelona, here.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by FormerF1Fan, 27/02/2018 7:26

"I wonder if anyone at McLaren has a birthday coming up soon? Will history repeat itself, and Alonso be the one to cut the cake?

Sir Stirling Moss: 'To me, Lotus means wheels coming off'

I remember that he didn't bother to come to see me in hospital after I broke my back and my legs when the wheels came off my Lotus at Spa Francochamps in 1960, and I can only assume that was because he was pretty embarrassed. I returned to racing two months later and won the US Grand Prix, and as it was my birthday the team made me a cake in the shape of a car. The first thing I did was cut the wheel off and said, "Give that to Colin Chapman". He didn't think it was funny at all ... I thought it was quite amusing myself.
"

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Early drama for Alonso

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