Fernando Alonso has been ruled out of the Australian Grand Prix following his crash in pre-season testing.
Having spent three days in hospital following the accident during the second test, Alonso missed the final test as McLaren attempted to get him fit for the opening race of the season. However, the team has now confirmed Alonso will sit out the first grand prix on doctors' advice.
"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," McLaren said in a statement.
"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.
"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."
Having raced for McLaren last year, the team has confirmed that Kevin Magnussen will drive in Alonso's place in Melbourne.
Comment: What a tangled web we weave
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