Alonso ready to return in Malaysia

McLaren-Honda announced that, subject to a successful FIA medical assesement, Fernando Alonso will return to the cockpit of his MP4-30 car for the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang circuit.

Since his Barcelona pre-season accident, Alonso has followed a rigorous, specialised training programme, designed and closely monitored by leading sports scientists, to ensure his safe and timely return to the world of racing.

At the McLaren Technology Centre, the Spanish driver 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 the comprehensive data and analysis, all of which has been shared with the FIA.

While there was nothing evident in the extensive car telemetry data, nor anything abnormal in the subsequent reconstructions and laboratory tests, Alonso recalls a sense of heavy steering prior to the accident. That’s why, the team has fitted an additional sensor to the car to increase 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”, says McLaren-Honda team in their statement.