22/02/2015
NEWS STORY
McLaren's pre-season preparations have taken another massive blow - literally - today, when Fernando Alonso crashed around twenty minutes before the lunch break.
Precise details remain sketchy as the incident happened just out of view of the circuit's CCTV. Whilst it was at first thought that the Spaniard had suffered another technical failure, circuit officials subsequently confirmed that the McLaren had crashed exiting T3 and hit the wall. Though he is said to be conscious and OK, Alonso was taken to the circuit's medical centre as a precaution and then airlifted to a nearby hospital for further checks.
At this stage it is not known how much damage there is to the MP4-30, but it is unlikely that Jenson Button, who was scheduled to take over this afternoon, will see any action.
Alonso's accident comes at the end of another difficult week for the Woking team and its partner Honda. After suffering a problem with a seal on the MGU-K on Thursday, it was feared the team would run only a handful of laps on Friday as it waited on a new component from Honda HQ. In actual fact, Alonso had a good day, the Spaniard completing the team's best daily mileage tally of the year.
Things took a turn for the worse yesterday however, when the replacement seal was itself found to be faulty. An already frustrating day ending with a puncture which left Jenson Button stranded on the pit straight.
Having not appeared this morning, the team finally revealed that Alonso would be going out at 11:20 (local time), though the Spaniard actually emerged earlier. Over a number of short runs he completed 20 laps, posting the fifth best time of the morning.
The only other red flag of the morning came twenty-five minutes into the session when Rosberg went off at T5, the corner where a sleeping Sebastian Vettel went off yesterday and the scene of Thursday's clash involving Susie Wolff and Felipe Nasr.
Other than Alonso's crash it has been quite uneventful, the pace surprisingly slow considering the improved conditions.
Following a strong start in Jerez, Sauber's Barcelona misery continues, Felipe Nasr having only completed 3 laps and yet to post a time. "We have general issues with the C34," the Swiss team revealed half-an-hour into the session. "The team is investigating and we will be back on track as quickly as possible."
Without wishing to add to McLaren's pain, it does seem odd that two hours into the morning, with Alonso yet to post a time. The team tweeted a picture of the Spaniard and team boss Eric Boullier along with Joan Laporta, a Catalan politician and former president of Barcelona Football Club. "@FCBarcelona legend, Joan Laporta pays us a visit in the paddock," said the team.
"Can he help get the car sorted in time for Melbourne?" we responded.
Morning Times - All Times Unofficial
| Name | Team | Laps | Time | Gap |
| Sainz | Toro Rosso | 59 | 1:25.605 | 121.643 mph |
| Vettel | Ferrari | 59 | 1:26.312 | 0.707 |
| Hulkenberg | Force India | 33 | 1:26.591 | 0.986 |
| Rosberg | Mercedes | 67 | 1:26.782 | 1.177 |
| Alonso | McLaren | 20 | 1:27.956 | 2.351 |
| Grosjean | Lotus | 40 | 1:28.029 | 2.424 |
| Kvyat | Red Bull | 38 | 1:28.149 | 2.544 |
| Bottas | Williams | 52 | 1:28.171 | 2.566 |
| Nasr | Sauber | 3 | No Time |
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