After a bizarre testing wreck blamed on wind sent Fernando Alonso's McLaren-Honda into the wall and the driver to the hospital with a concussion, doctors have now recommended that the former world champion skip the upcoming Australian Grand Prix.
McLaren released a statement this morning that says that Fernando is very healthy but doctors don't want him in a situation where he could possibly get another concussion and cause further damage.
Having performed an exhaustive series of tests and scans – some of them as recently as yesterday evening – McLaren-Honda driver Fernando Alonso's doctors have informed him that they find him asymptomatic of any medical issue; that they see no evidence whatsoever of any injury; and that they therefore describe him as entirely healthy from neurological and cardiac perspectives alike.
However, Fernando's doctors have recommended to him that, following the concussion he sustained in a testing accident at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on February 22nd, for the time being he should seek to limit as far as is possible any environmental risk factors that could potentially result in his sustaining another concussion so soon after his previous one, so as to minimise the chances of second impact syndrome, as is normal medical procedure when treating athletes after concussions.
Concussions do take time to heal (which is why he missed the last test) and it isn't worth risking a brain injury to race at a Grand Prix. His seat will be filled by Kevin Magnussen.
Get well soon Fernando.