bigbadbrother
03-23-2015, 09:43 PM
Luke Smith
Alonso
McLaren has confirmed that Fernando Alonso will take part in this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix subject to a final FIA assessment on Thursday at the Sepang International Circuit.
Alonso was forced to miss the opening race of the 2015 season due to an accident in pre-season testing that left him concussed and in hospital for three days.
Following the advice of his doctors, Alonso was rested for the Australian Grand Prix, with McLaren reserve driver Kevin Magnussen taking his place.
However, following a resumption of his training regime and a number of medical checks, Alonso is now poised to make his comeback, with McLaren confirming today that he will be travelling to Malaysia.
“McLaren-Honda is pleased to announce that, subject to a successful final FIA medical assessment this Thursday 26th March at the Sepang International Circuit, Fernando Alonso will return to the cockpit of his MP4-30 car for this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix,” a statement from the team read.
“Since his Barcelona testing accident, Fernando has followed a rigorous, specialised training programme, designed and closely monitored by leading sports scientists, to ensure his safe and timely return to racing.
“At the McLaren Technology Centre last week, Fernando met with his engineers and drove the simulator, to bring him up to date with the latest developments on the MP4-30 chassis and power unit. As part of that process he spent time with senior engineers, discussing the accident and reviewing the comprehensive data and analysis, all of which has been shared with the FIA.”
The cause of the accident has been subject to much debate, with the team citing high winds in Barcelona as one possible factor that triggered the crash. However, neither the team nor the FIA has come to a final conclusion on what exactly happened and why Alonso had to remain in hospital for three days.
In the statement, McLaren confirmed that it has fitted an extra sensor to the car for the race in Malaysia in response to a recollection from Alonso in the lead-up to the accident.
“While there was nothing evident in the extensive car telemetry data, nor anything abnormal in the subsequent reconstructions and laboratory tests, Fernando recalls a sense of ‘heavy’ steering prior to the accident,” the team said. “Consequently, the team has fitted an additional sensor to the car, to increase our data capture.
“Fernando is very much looking forward to getting back into the car and making a substantial contribution to our collective efforts with Honda, to accelerate the required improvement to our on-track performance.”
McLaren will be hoping that Alonso’s return can coincide with an upturn in on-track fortunes after failing to score a single point at the Australian Grand Prix.
Bottas
Williams Martini Racing’s Valtteri Bottas says he should be good to go for this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix, as he recovers from his back injury that sidelined him from the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
He hasn’t been officially declared back yet, and will have medical checks on Thursday by the FIA to determine his fitness level for next race.
Still, Bottas said he’s been preparing for the high heat that typically comes with the race in Kuala Lumpur.
“As always, Malaysia is a very hot and humid race, and although these aren’t the ideal conditions for the car we have had some exciting races in Sepang over the years,” Bottas said in a team release.
“There is also always a risk of rain which we have to be aware of, but it brings some more spice in the suspense.
“After Melbourne I have stayed in Asia to acclimatize to the hot conditions and adjust to the right time zone. I trained a lot over the winter to prepare for these physically difficult conditions.
“After such a frustrating Sunday in Australia, I have taken the necessary measures to make sure I arrive in Malaysia fit to race and ready to bring the results home.”
Bottas finished behind Massa in last year’s race, as the pair came home seventh and eighth. Massa opened the team’s 2015 account with fourth in Melbourne.
Alonso
McLaren has confirmed that Fernando Alonso will take part in this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix subject to a final FIA assessment on Thursday at the Sepang International Circuit.
Alonso was forced to miss the opening race of the 2015 season due to an accident in pre-season testing that left him concussed and in hospital for three days.
Following the advice of his doctors, Alonso was rested for the Australian Grand Prix, with McLaren reserve driver Kevin Magnussen taking his place.
However, following a resumption of his training regime and a number of medical checks, Alonso is now poised to make his comeback, with McLaren confirming today that he will be travelling to Malaysia.
“McLaren-Honda is pleased to announce that, subject to a successful final FIA medical assessment this Thursday 26th March at the Sepang International Circuit, Fernando Alonso will return to the cockpit of his MP4-30 car for this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix,” a statement from the team read.
“Since his Barcelona testing accident, Fernando has followed a rigorous, specialised training programme, designed and closely monitored by leading sports scientists, to ensure his safe and timely return to racing.
“At the McLaren Technology Centre last week, Fernando met with his engineers and drove the simulator, to bring him up to date with the latest developments on the MP4-30 chassis and power unit. As part of that process he spent time with senior engineers, discussing the accident and reviewing the comprehensive data and analysis, all of which has been shared with the FIA.”
The cause of the accident has been subject to much debate, with the team citing high winds in Barcelona as one possible factor that triggered the crash. However, neither the team nor the FIA has come to a final conclusion on what exactly happened and why Alonso had to remain in hospital for three days.
In the statement, McLaren confirmed that it has fitted an extra sensor to the car for the race in Malaysia in response to a recollection from Alonso in the lead-up to the accident.
“While there was nothing evident in the extensive car telemetry data, nor anything abnormal in the subsequent reconstructions and laboratory tests, Fernando recalls a sense of ‘heavy’ steering prior to the accident,” the team said. “Consequently, the team has fitted an additional sensor to the car, to increase our data capture.
“Fernando is very much looking forward to getting back into the car and making a substantial contribution to our collective efforts with Honda, to accelerate the required improvement to our on-track performance.”
McLaren will be hoping that Alonso’s return can coincide with an upturn in on-track fortunes after failing to score a single point at the Australian Grand Prix.
Bottas
Williams Martini Racing’s Valtteri Bottas says he should be good to go for this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix, as he recovers from his back injury that sidelined him from the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
He hasn’t been officially declared back yet, and will have medical checks on Thursday by the FIA to determine his fitness level for next race.
Still, Bottas said he’s been preparing for the high heat that typically comes with the race in Kuala Lumpur.
“As always, Malaysia is a very hot and humid race, and although these aren’t the ideal conditions for the car we have had some exciting races in Sepang over the years,” Bottas said in a team release.
“There is also always a risk of rain which we have to be aware of, but it brings some more spice in the suspense.
“After Melbourne I have stayed in Asia to acclimatize to the hot conditions and adjust to the right time zone. I trained a lot over the winter to prepare for these physically difficult conditions.
“After such a frustrating Sunday in Australia, I have taken the necessary measures to make sure I arrive in Malaysia fit to race and ready to bring the results home.”
Bottas finished behind Massa in last year’s race, as the pair came home seventh and eighth. Massa opened the team’s 2015 account with fourth in Melbourne.