Alpine Formula 1 driver and two-time world champion – Fernando Alonso – has hit a speed bump in his return to the motorsport after a two-year hiatus, with reports of the 39-year-old Spaniard’s involvement in a road cycling accident. While Alonso has been admitted to hospital with multiple suspected fractures, thankfully, a statement from his team indicates he’s “conscious and well”.
“Alpine F1 Team can confirm that Fernando Alonso has been involved in a road accident while cycling in Switzerland,” reads the official statement issued by the rebranded French outfit formerly known as Renault F1.
“Fernando is conscious and well in himself and is awaiting further medical examinations tomorrow morning.”
“Alpine F1 Team will not make any further statement at this point in time. Further updates will be given tomorrow.”
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According to Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport, Alonso was hit by a car on near Lugano. The extent of his injuries beyond multiple suspected fractures and potentially a broken jaw has not yet been revealed/confirmed. But as alluded to by Alpine F1’s statement, we can expect some more details in the next 24 hours.
This cycling accident occurs as Alpine gears up for pre-season testing at Bahrain, where Fernando Alonso is scheduled to participate in the 2021 season opener roughly a month from now (March 26th to 28th) – his first proper F1 race since the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Alpine has not formally announced a reserve driver, although Crash has speculated former Williams F1 driver Sergey Sirotkin may be called upon as a stand-in, similar to what fans witnessed last year.
