22/03/2015
NEWS STORY
Today sees the start of a series of test that will decide if Fernando Alonso contests the forthcoming Malaysia Grand Prix.
The Spaniard, who crashed during testing in Barcelona last month, was advised by his doctors not to take part in the season opening race in Australia and instead focus on the second race.
Having started training again and even spent a day in the simulator at the MTC, where he drove the Sepang track, the Spaniard now has to prove that he is fully fit to return to work.
Today he will be assessed by three FIA-appointed specialists at the University of Cambridge who will not only examine the two-time world champion but assess the various scans taken in the wake of the accident in which he was concussed.
If he passes today's tests he will then be cleared to travel to Malaysia, but once there he will face further examinations.
On Thursday, he would first be examined by the chief medical officer of the Sepang International Circuit, following which Jean-Charles Piette, the FIA's medical delegate, would put him through the governing body's impact test which analyses his suitability to participate in the race by comparing his reactions and cognitive skills with his previous test results.
Only then, if he has been given the all-clear by both, can he return to the cockpit.
Meanwhile, Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport claims that the Spaniard's non-appearance in Australia cost insurers £1.3m due to a clause requiring him to be fit for every race. The insurers will cover the cost unless it is found that McLaren was responsible for his absence.