Fernando Alonso will be sitting on the sidelines for this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, after failing the FIA’s medical examination. Alonso will be examined again before the Chinese Grand Prix and will need medical clearance from the FIA’s medical professionals. Alonso will be replaced by the McLaren reserve driver, Stoffel Vandoorne.
It is standard procedure for the FIA to perform a medical clearance check on drivers that have been involved in an accident. This comes after Alonso’s massive accident with the Haas of Esteban Gutiérrez in Australia. During the accident, Alonso was subjected to a lot of g-force.
A statement from the FIA explained the situation:
“Following an examination undertaken this morning at the Bahrain International Circuit Medical Centre, it has been decided that McLaren Honda F1 Team driver Fernando Alonso should not take part in this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix. Two sets of chest CT scans were compared and it was decided that there was insufficient resolution if the signs to allow him to compete on safety grounds.”
Alonso is no strange to sitting out of a race for medical reasons. A similar incident occurred last season, which forced him to miss the first race of the 2015 season. The driver had a concussion due to a mysterious accident during pre-season testing in Barcelona.
Stoffel Vandoorne will get behind the wheel of the McLaren for the weekend. Vandoorne has won many championship titles in a variety of disciplines, including his GP2 championship title last season. The Belgian was rumored to have been in contention for one of the seats on the grid for 2016, but he was contracted at the McLaren reserve driver instead.
The Bahrain Grand Prix starts this Friday, with the race starting on April 3. The race will be held for the twelfth time at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
Chassis Replacement For Haas
No Drivers Injured In Australian Race Accident
Weekend Summary: 2016 Australian Grand Prix
