26/03/2015
NEWS STORY
Given the green light to return to the cockpit, Fernando Alonso has given further insight to his Barcelona test crash.
Following his assessment at the weekend in the UK, this morning the Spaniard faced furthers tests before being given the all-clear to return to work.
The FIA subsequently confirmed that the two-time champion had passed the tests and was fit to return to the cockpit of the MP4-30 for the second round of the championship.
"During the examination the driver passed all mandatory fitness tests and has thus been declared fit to race in this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix," said the FIA in a statement.
Subsequently, speaking at the official FIA press conference, the Spaniard talked about the incident which has been one of the main talking points in recent weeks.
"Everything was more or less normal concussion," he said. "I went to the hospital in good condition. There is a time I don't remember in hospital from 2- 6 (pm) that day but that is normal due to the medication.
"I didn't wake up in 1996," he continued, referring to media reports that he had 'lost' twenty years of his life. "I didn't wake up speaking in Italian, all these things that were out there. I remember the accident and everything from the accident and the following day."
Speaking of the accident, he continued: "There is nothing clear in the data that we can say it was the reason, but definitely we had a steering problem in Turn 3," he said. "It locked into the right.
"I approached the wall, I braked in the last moment, I downshifted, and unfortunately on the day we are still missing some parts," he added. "The data acquisition is not at the top on that particular part of the car, new sensors and some changes last week."
Referring to claims that the accident was caused by a gust of wind, a claim made by his own team, he said: "Definitely not. Even a hurricane will not move the car at that speed."
Adding further confusion to a saga which already has the F1 paddock totally mystified, he said: "Some of the confusion comes from the early quotes when the pressure was very high and I was in intensive care and there was an urgency to say something.
"It is clear there was a problem with the car but it is not found on the data at the moment."
Which no doubt explains why McLaren is so keen that this was the only occasion on which Alonso will be allowed to answer questions on the matter this weekend.
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