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Author: David Bodapati
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Alonso to miss season opener at Albert Park on Doctor’s advice
3 March 2015: 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 Circui
t 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.In order to limit those environmental risk factors, specifically, his doctors have advised that he should not compete in the imminent Australian Grand Prix meeting, which will take place on March 13th, 14th and 15th.
Fernando has understood and accepted that advice, and the two McLaren-Honda cars will therefore be driven in Australia by Fernando’s team-mate Jenson Button and the team’s test and reserve driver Kevin Magnussen.
Fernando’s doctors acknowledge that he feels fit and well, and that he regards himself as ready to race, and, that being the case, they are comfortable with the fact that he has already recommenced physical training, with a view to preparing for a return to the cockpit of his McLaren-Honda car for the Malaysian Grand Prix meeting on March 27th, 28th and 29th. Indeed, his doctors are supportive of that ambition, satisfied as they are that he sustained no damage whatsoever during his testing accident on February 22nd.
All at McLaren-Honda fully support Fernando’s decision in respect of his doctors’ advice.
eom/McLaren Honda F1 team release
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Bottas fastest on final day of testing ahead of Vettel
Barcelona, 1 March 2015: Formula One’s winter test programme came to a close in Barcelona today, with Williams’ Valtteri Bottas topping the timesheet ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Sauber’s Felipe Nasr.
Bottas’ best time came must the midway point of the morning session. After having claimed top spot with an outing on the soft compound Pirelli tyres, the Finn bolted on supersofts to record a lap of a lap of 1:23.063. Just before the lunch break Vettel then also took on the supersoft tyre to post his day’s best time of 1:23.469, four tenths of a second off the Finn’s pace.
Mercedes, who had run fastest on the middle two days of this final test using the soft tyre and who would have been expected to top the benchmark set by Bottas, today eschewed any kind of performance runs. Instead, Nico Rosberg focused on work with the hard and medium tyres – likely to be compounds used at the Curcuit de Catalunya for May’s Spanish Grand Prix – and the German worked steadily through the team’s programme for an eventual lap total of 148.
Felipe Nasr was third quickest for Sauber, with the Brazilian posting his quickest lap in the morning on supersoft tyres. As had become the pattern over the final test, Nasr switched to long runs in the afternoon and eventually racked up the day’s biggest distance, the Brazilian completing 159 tours of the Circuit de Catalunya.
Fourth place went to Max Verstappen. The teenager’s running was interrupted midway through the afternoon by an engine issue though his Toro Rosso mechanics managed to get him out again before the chequered flag and he posted his best time in the final moments of the session.
Fifth on the timesheet was Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo, though his best time was set in the afternoon after a compromised morning programme led the team to run a compressed programme in the second half of the day.
Ricciardo’s day began positively enough with the Australian completing 10 laps but just after an hour into the session his RB11 ground to a halt at the end of the pit lane. After he had been wheeled back to the garage an ERS issue was diagnosed and any further morning running was off the agenda.
He returned to the track half an hour into the afternoon and soon after took on the soft tyre. His third run on the compound netted his best time of the day, a 1:24.638, which put 1.5s off Bottas supersoft time.
Behind Ricciardo was Force India’s Sergio Perez. The Silverstone-based team had another trouble-free run with the new VJM08, the Mexican driver getting through 130 laps for a best time of 1:25.113, which put him ahead of Rosberg.
McLaren’s troubled winter test programme ended with another tricky day. Jenson Button was back at the wheel but he only completed two laps in the morning as a sensor issue restricted the MP4-30 to the garage. The Briton took the track again in the afternoon and made it through 30 laps of the circuit.
The final place on the timesheet was occupied by Pastor Maldonado. The Lotus driver crashed out at Turn Four just after the start of the afternoon session and took no further part in running.
Barcelona Test – Day Four
1 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:23.063s 88
2 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:23.469s +0.406 129
3 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:24.023s +0.960 159
4 Max Verstappen Toro Rosso 1:24.527s +1.464 85
5 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:24.638s +1.575 72
6 Sergio Perez Force India 1:25.113s +2.050 130
7 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:25.186s +2.123 148
8 Jenson Button McLaren 1:25.327s +2.264 30
9 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:28.272s +5.209 36eom/FIA release
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Hamilton fastest by two tenths of a second on soft tyres: Day 3
Hamilton with engineers on Saturday on the third day of Barcelona testing. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image Barcelone, 28 Feb 2015: Lewis Hamilton continued Mercedes seemingly effortless domination of the final F1 test of pre-season, with the world champion utilizing an “experimental set-up” to top the timesheet by two tenths of a second ahead of Williams’ Felipe Massa.
After a quiet morning in which the Briton was sixth fastest and in which Mercedes ended running an hour before the lunch break to prepare the set-up variation, Hamilton then stayed in the garage until midway through the afternoon session. When he did emerge, however, it was with intent.
Running soft tyres he brushed past the morning best time of Felipe Massa – set on supersoft tyres – by two tenths of a second.
Massa had held sway for most of the day after a morning duel with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. After the Williams driver had set a medium-tyre benchmark, Raikkon ran the same compound to slot into second place behind the Brazilian. And when Massa bolted on supersoft tyres for a qualifying sim, Raikkonen matched him. It was the Williams man who won out however, setting a time of 1:23.262 to sit a hundredth of a second clear of the Finn at the lunch break. Hamilton, though, eclipsed both with his lap of 1:23.022 on the harder compound.
Williams though were evidently pleased with Massa’s efforts and the Mercedes powered team called a halt to running with an hour left on the clock, stating that it had completed its full programme for the day.
Raikkonen, meanwhile, switched to long runs in the afternoon and managed another race simulation for the Maranello outfit.
Fourth place on the timesheet went to Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz who late in the day set a time of 1:24.191, just over a second down on Hamilton’s best. The Spaniard then almost immediately brought out the red flags, stopping at Turn Three. He had, however, enjoyed a successful day to that point, logging 132 laps, which included a race simulation.
Sainz’s stoppage was just the second of the day. The session had been trouble-free until late in the afternoon but then with half an hour remaining Marcus Ericsson stopped at Turn Three. Until that point the Sauber driver had also enjoyed a solid outing, running third fastest in the morning on the supersoft tyre and then working through a race simulation in the afternoon for a total of 123 laps and sixth place on the timesheet.
Long runs were the order of the afternoon for most. Romain Grosjean put in 116 laps, although he too delivered a late-afternoon short run that saw him rise to fifth on the timesheet with a lap of 1:24.200.
With Ericsson sixth, seventh place went to Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg. The Silverstone-based team had given a successful debut to its 2015 car yesterday, getting through 77 laps on its first outing and Hulkenberg continued the good work, posting day three’s largest lap total of 158.
After Jenson Button had driven McLaren’s best day of testing yesterday, putting 101 laps on the new MP4-30, reserve driver Kevin Magnussen took over today, in place of race driver Fernando Alonso who is resting after his crash in testing last week.
Magnussen’s total was less impressive than Button’s, however, and the Dane managed just 39 laps before McLaren called a halt to running, citing an oil leak for the cessation.
The final place on the timesheet went to Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo. The Renault-powered team once again ignored the temptation to run on soft or supersoft tyres and focused on more aero work and long runs, with Ricciardo eventually putting 128 laps on the board.
Barcelona Second Test – Day Three
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:23.022s 76 laps
2 Felipe Massa Williams 1:23.262s +0.240 102
3 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:23.276s +0.254 136
4 Carlos Sainz Jr Toro Rosso 1:24.191s +1.169 132
5 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:24.200s +1.178 116
6 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:24.477s +1.455
7 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:24.939s +1.917 158
8 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:25.225s +2.203 39
9 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:25.742s +2.720 128eom/FIA press release
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Rosberg on top on day two of final test
Rosberg tops on Day2 of second test at Barcelona. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image Barcelona, 27 Feb 2015: Nico Robserg on Friday confirmed the extent of Mercedes advantage by posting the fastest time of pre-season testing so far, lapping Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya in 1:22.792.
Rosberg set the time midway through the afternoon session as Mercedes ran its W05 car on soft tyres for the first time in winter testing. The time was 1.2 seconds clear of nearest rival Valtteri Bottas, who also used the soft tyre to take his Mercedes-power Williams to a best time of 1:23.995. Rosberg’s time was also 0.7s quicker than day one’s best time set by Williams Felipe Massa on the soft tyre. To complete the picture the Mercedes driver also put 106 laps on the board,
Felipe Nasr set the day’s third fastest time. The Sauber driver used the soft tyre to set a time six hundredths of a second off that set by Bottas. Nasr held sway in the morning session but then switched to a race simulation in the afternoon, eventually getting through 141 laps in total.
His wasn’t day’s biggest total, however. Fourth-placed Sebastian Vettel ground out 143 laps of the Circuit de Catalunya as Ferrari trialled a series of upgrades across a long day of clean running, which included a race simulation.
Three other teams managed to crack the 100-lap mark and remarkably one of those was McLaren. The Honda-powered team managed just seven laps yesterday before a mechanical issue ended their running but today Jenson Button ran without problem for the bulk of the sessions. The team even managed a short outing on the soft tyre with Button claiming fifth place on the timesheet with his lap of 1:25.590.
The Briton’s running was eventually halted 20 minutes before the chequered flag when his MP4-30 stopped at the exit of Turn Seven. It was, however, the team’s most successful day of testing so far this winter.
Pastor Maldonado finished seventh for Lotus and the Venezuelan was responsible for the day’s final red flag when he stopped his Lotus E23 at the pit entry in the final minute of the afternoon session. He too had passed the century of laps mark, recording 140 tours on a good day for the Enstone team.
Max Vertappen, in eighth, might have claimed the distance award if his Toro Rosso had reached the chequered flag. However, after 139 laps, the Dutch teenage was forced back to the garage by an electrical problem that ended his running an hour early.
Daniil Kvyat finished the day in ninth place on the timesheet. After a mechanical problem yesterday the team stuck to short run aero work in the morning as it awaited new parts. After they had been installed over lunch the Russian switched to long runs but his plans were interrupted by a sensor failure that necessitated a return to the garage for a spell. He managed to get out again but it was another quietly methodical day for Red Bull.
Occupying the final slot on the timesheet was Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg. The German giving a track debut to the team’s 2015 car. It was a very productive outing too, the team getting through 77 laps without issue.
Barcelona Final Test – Day Two
1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:22.792s 106 laps
2 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:23.995s +1.203 90
3 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:24.071s +1.279 141
4 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:25.339s +2.547 143
5 Jenson Button McLaren 1:25.590s +2.798 101
6 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:26.705s +3.913 140
7 Max Verstappen Toro Rosso 1:26.766s +3.974 139
8 Daniil Kvyat Red Bull Racing 1:26.965 +4.173 84
9 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:28.412s +5.620 77 -
Massa quickest on soft tyres as final test begins in Barcelona
Barcelona, 26 Feb 2015: After two tests in which it largely succeeded in operating under the radar, Williams finally showed its hand on the first of the final pre-season F1 test, with Felipe Massa recording the fastest time seen at any test so far this year.
The Brazilian clocked a time of 1:23.500 midway through the afternoon session, with his FW36 running on soft tyres as the team conducted a qualifying-style run.
That put Massa ahead of Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson. The Swede spent much of the day working through aero work and then a race simulation but late in the day he took on soft tyres to claim third spot and then bolted on supersoft rubber to register a time of 1:24.276, just over a second off Massa’s benchmark. Ercisson also recorded the day’s biggest mileage, lapping 122 times.
The day’s third fastest time was set by Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. The world champion seized control of the control of the timesheet early in the morning session, registering time of 1:24.881 on the medium tyre compound.
That was as quick a Hamilton would go, however. The morning session was effectively ended when rain began to fall an hour before the lunch break. Hamilton, with Red Bull Racing’s Daniil Kvyat for company, tested the conditions briefly but both returned to the pit lane to wait for improved conditions.
However, after lunch Hamilton made no return to the track and an hour before the chequered flag Mercedes announced that an MGU-K failure on its W05 car had ended their running for the day.
McLaren’s announcement that it was throwing in the day one towel arrived earlier. The troubled Honda-powered team turned just seven laps in the morning with Jenson Button completing just one time run before it announced that a hydraulic leak had cut short their day, as the repairs would mean a change of power unit.
Button is likely to be at the wheel again on day two, with reserve driver Kevin Magnussen also waiting in the wings. Fernando Alonso has been ruled out of the test while he recovers from his crash at last week’s test in Barcelona.
With Hamilton third fourth place went to Red Bull Racing’s Daniil Kvyat, who had a tricky day. The Russian brought out the red flags with his first outing of the day when he stopped at the end of the pit lane, but thereafter he ran without problem in the morning, logging 45 laps. He had been set for an afternoon race simulation but early in the long run he suffered a mechanical problem and returned to the garage where the team adjusted its plan, favouring short runs as it waited on the arrival of new parts.
Behind the Red Bull driver, Lotus’ Romain Grosjean was fifth fastest with a time of 1:26.177. It was an unspectacular day at Ferrari where Kimi Raikkonen completed 80 laps for a best time of 1:26.327 and sixth on the timesheet.
The Finn finished ahead of Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz Jr. The Italian squad have brought a substantially upgraded car to this final test and Sainz andf the team seemed to struggle to get the best from it. The Spanish rookie brought out the red flags midway through the afternoon when he stopped at Turn 10. He returned to the action later on, however, and ended the day with 86 laps under his belt and in seventh place on the timesheet. Button, in the McLaren was eighth.
Force India missed the opening day of the finial test but is expected to debut its 2015 car, the VJM08, on day two.
Barcelona Test – Day One
1 Felipe Massa Williams 1:23.500s 103
2 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:24.276s +0.776 122
3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:24.881s +1.381 48
4 Daniil Kvyat Red Bull 1:25.947s +2.447 75
5 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:26.177s +2.677 75
6 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:26.327s +2.827 80
7 Carlos Sainz Jr Toro Rosso 1:26.962s +3.462 86
8 Jenson Button McLaren 1:31.479s +7.979 7eom/FIA release
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Manor Marussia F1 team announces Will Stevens as first race driver
25 Feb 2015: The Manor Marussia F1 Team is making huge strides towards the 2015 FIA Formula One World Championship season opener in Melbourne, Australia, in just over two weeks’ time, the Manor Marussia page on FB says.
The next exciting step for the team is to make the first of its driver line-up announcements, with the news that Will Stevens will be an official 2015 Manor race driver.
Will, 23, is known to the team from his brief time in the role of Marussia Reserve Driver towards the end of the 2014 season. He went on to race for Caterham in the season finale in Abu Dhabi and produced the impressive performance anticipated of a driver who has won races in every category in which he has competed, against some of the very best junior drivers.
A fundamental element of the Manor philosophy has always been to provide opportunity for the next generation of motor racing talent, a part of the team’s long and proud history that will be retained into the future. Manor has started many young drivers out on the path to success, including Formula One world champions Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen.
The approval by the Company’s creditors on 19 February 2015 to a Company Voluntary Arrangement paves the way for the team to exit from administration and since that time everyone involved with Manor has been working flat out on the key components of its 2015 challenge.
The car with which Manor will begin the season is now in an advanced stage of build at the team’s current race preparation facility in Dinnington, UK, where personnel are working 24-7 towards the air freight despatch date of 6 March.
As the sport counts down to the curtain-raising 2015 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix in 18 days’ time, Manor is now in a position to be able to provide regular updates on its preparations for Melbourne and wider plans for the season, including the completion of its driver line-up.
Commenting on the announcement of his race seat today, Will Stevens said: “It’s very exciting to see everything coming together at Manor after the tremendous effort that has gone into saving the team. It would not have been possible without the incredible support we have received from all the suppliers and from within the sport, but most of all the fantastic team of people at Manor who are working around the clock to ensure we are ready for Melbourne. My thanks to the team for their confidence in me and I can’t wait to see all the hard work rewarded when we line up on the grid in two weeks’ time.”
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Women have a place in motorsport just as in any other sport: Carmen, new Lotus Development driver
Enstone, 26 Feb 2015: Carmen Jordá today joined Lotus F1 Team as a Development Driver for the 2015 season. Carmen will attend Grands Prix and Formula 1 tests throughout 2015 for Lotus F1 Team as well as undergoing a significant simulator programme at the team’s base in Enstone. Carmen will drive the E23 Hybrid on track during the course of 2015.
Carmen, daughter of former racer José Miguel Jordá, has a distinguished racing career having participated in the European Open
Formula 3 Championship – where she achieved three podiums – the American Indy Lights Championship and most recently the GP3 Series.Matthew Carter, CEO, Lotus F1 Team:
“We are happy to announce Carmen Jordá as a Development Driver for Lotus F1 Team and we are looking forward to working with her over the course of the season and ultimately seeing her behind the wheel of the car. Carmen will bring a fresh perspective to the team. We have a strong programme for her attending Grands Prix as well as extensive time in our sophisticated simulation facility at Enstone. She is a unique addition to the team and we are looking forward to helping her progress her goals as well as receiving the benefit of her insights and contributions to the development of the E23 Hybrid.”Carmen Jordá:
“It feels like a dream come true to join Lotus F1 Team. I’ve been racing since I was ten years old so it was my dream to drive a Formula 1 car since I was very young. Joining Lotus F1 Team is a big step towards my goal. I will be working to improve myself as a driver as well as helping the team to develop the car by testing new developments in the simulator; it’s such a fantastic opportunity. I know this is just the beginning and the biggest challenge is yet to come but already being part of a team with such a history is a real honour. This is a great achievement, but an even greater opportunity which will lead to bigger and better things.”About Carmen Jordá
www.carmenjorda.com
Twitter: @CarmenJorda
Instagram: carmenjorda
Facebook: carmenjordaofficialHaving her father as a role model, ex – driver Jose Miguel Jorda, it is no surprise that Carmen fell in love with motor racing from a very early age.
Her first contact with professional competition was in karting with the Valencian Community’s Championship in 2001, when she was 12. Carmen achieved third position in the final standings and one year later she finished seventh in the Spanish National Championship. Her perseverance and determination already foretold the future that was awaiting her.
After four years competing in karting whilst living in the United Kingdom, Carmen began contesting the European Formula 3 Open series category where she achieved three podium finishes and finished 4th in her second year.
In 2010 Carmen moved to the USA to compete in the American Indy Lights Championship for the Andersen Racing 1 team where she achieved top ten finishes.
In early 2012, when she was presented with the opportunity to sign with the Ocean Racing Technology team in the F1 feeder category GP3 Series, she returned to Europe. She raced in this highly competitive championship over the course of the past three seasons.
Carmen believes women have a place in motorsport just as in any other sport in the world. Carmen sets out to be an inspiration for every women competing for a professional seat in motorsport, or in their own discipline, and she continues to fight to achieve her own goals.
eom/Lotus press release
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Respected journalist, the Italian Giovanni Paterlini, 57, no more
Passionate about Karting for decades, and a former driver himself before becoming a photographer and a respected journalist, the Italian Giovanni Paterlini, just 57 years old, died on Sunday, February 22nd, 2015 due to the heart problems that had kept him hospitalised for the last two months.
The CIK-FIA Head of Communications during the Presidency of Ernest Buser, Giovanni Paterlini collaborated with several magazines including the weekly Autosprint and the monthly Vroom, and with the Parma Karting Club organising the Andrea Margutti Trophy and the Industrial Trophy. He worked alongside Giancarlo Tinini at CRG Spa for fifteen years.
The CIK-FIA honours the memory of a man who has worked hard for Karting and extends its sincere condolences to his family and friends.
eom/FIA press release
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Arjun to Join Max Verstappen’s Formula 3 Team
Arjun Maini (centre) image courtesy Maini Motor Sport Academy. Bangalore, 24 Feb 2015: Bangalore boy Arjun Maini (17) has been signed by the Dutch team Van Amersfoort Racing for the upcoming FIA Formula 3 championship, a press release from Maini’s manager said here on Tuesday.
The team who famously ran Max Verstappen who at 17 who is all set to become the youngest Formula One driver in history, has been quite impressed with Arjun’s test times and also his performances at the Toyota Racing Series and have signed him as one of the three drivers for the 2015 season. The team has also signed an ex-teammate of Arjun, Alessio Lorandi who raced with Arjun during his karting years as well as Frenchman Charles Leclerc. Interestingly all three drivers in the team will be contesting their first year in the series.
The Van Amersfoort team was founded by Frits van Amersfoort in the year 1975 and has since several drivers such as Jos Verstappen, Tom Coronel, Christijan Albers andHuubRothengatter come through its ranks.
The team shot into the limelight after a great 2014, where lead driver Max Verstappen finished 3rd overall in the Formula 3 FIA championship after jumping straight from karting. The team finished 4thoverall in the 2014 standings with a total of 10 wins and a further 18 podiums between its 3 drivers.
“I’m quite excited to join such as experienced team”, said the 17 year old. “Obviously the team is very good and has the experience to give us an opportunity to do well . The Team has a lot of attention from the media after what they achieved last year. I am hoping to build on a solid foundation and learn as much as I can in my rookie season in the series”.
The FIA Formula 3 Series, is one of the most prestigious championships in Europe, with 33 races being held on 11 weekends across 8 countries in Europe including Russia. The Calendar includes some of the most iconic tracks around the world including Formula One tracks such as Silverstone, Monza and Spa.
eom/Maini release
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Further update regarding Fernando Alonso from McLaren Honda
Barcelona, February 23rd
We are pleased to confirm that, having been involved in an on-track incident at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (Spain) on February 22nd, Fernando Alonso is making a solid recovery in hospital, and is chatting to family, friends and hospital staff.
From the scene of the incident he was driven to the circuit’s medical centre, where he was given first aid and, as per normal procedures, was sedated in preparation for an air-lift to hospital.
In hospital a thorough and complete analysis of his condition was performed, involving CT scans and MRI scans, all of which were completely normal.
In order to provide the privacy and tranquillity required to facilitate a peaceful recuperation, he is being kept in hospital for further observation, and to recover from the effects of the medication that successfully managed his routine sedation yesterday.
We intend to give him every opportunity to make a rapid and complete recovery, and will evaluate in due course whether or not he will participate in the next Barcelona test.
Over the past 24 hours, we have been carrying out a detailed analysis of the damage to Fernando’s car, and its associated telemetry data, in order fully to understand the cause, or causes, of his accident. Even at this early stage, we have been able to reach some firm conclusions.
His car ran wide at the entry to Turn Three – which is a fast uphill right-hander – allowing it to run onto the Astroturf that lines the outside of the track. A consequent loss of traction caused a degree of instability, spitting it back towards the inside of the circuit, where it regained traction and struck the wall side-on.
Our findings indicate that the accident was caused by the unpredictably gusty winds at that part of the circuit at that time, and which had affected other drivers similarly (eg, Carlos Sainz Jnr).
We can categorically state that there is no evidence that indicates that Fernando’s car suffered mechanical failure of any kind. We can also confirm that absolutely no loss of aerodynamic pressure was recorded, which fact indicates that the car did not suffer any aerodynamic loss, despite the fact that it was subjected to a significant level of g-force. Finally, we can also disclose that no electrical discharge or irregularity of any kind occurred in the car’s ERS system, either before, during or after the incident.
That last point refutes the erroneous rumours that have spread recently to the effect that Fernando was rendered unconscious by an electrical fault. That is simply not true. Our data clearly shows that he was downshifting while applying full brake pressure right up to the moment of the first impact – something that clearly would not have been possible had he been unconscious at the time.
Our data also confirms that Fernando’s car struck the inside concrete wall, first with its front-right wheel and then with its rear-right. It was a significant lateral impact, resulting in damage to the front upright and axle.
After the initial impact, the car slid down the wall for about 15 seconds before coming to a halt. All four wheels remained attached to the car, but no damage was sustained by the bodywork or crash structure between the front and rear wheels.
We wish Fernando a very speedy recovery. As and when we have further updates to share, we will of course do so.
ENDS
File photo of Fernando Alonso. Courtesy Ferrari F1 team.
