McLaren explains Fernando Alonso's accident

After the accident suffered by Fernando Alonso yesterday in Catalonia, forcing the double Spanish world champion to spend the night under observation, we know a little more about the circumstances of the driver's exit from the track McLaren MP4-30 n°14, after the press release published this Monday by the Woking team.

“Over the past 24 hours, we have dedicated ourselves to a detailed analysis of the damage to Fernando's car, and associated telemetry data, in order to fully understand the cause(s) of his accident. Even at this early stage, we have been able to reach firm conclusions.

His car veered wide entering Turn 3, which is a fast-uphill right-hander? and found herself on the Astroturf which lines the outside of the track. A significant loss of traction caused some instability, sending it towards the inside of the circuit, where it regained traction and hit the side wall.

Our results indicate that the accident was caused by unpredictable gusty winds on that part of the circuit at that time, and which had affected other drivers (for example, Carlos Sainz).

We can categorically state that there is no evidence to indicate that Fernando's car suffered a mechanical failure of any kind. We can also confirm that absolutely no loss of aerodynamic pressure was recorded, indicating that the car did not suffer any aerodynamic losses, despite being subjected to a significant level of g-force. Finally, we can also clarify that no electrical discharge or malfunction occurred in the car's ERS system, either before, during or after the incident.

Our data also confirms that Fernando's car hit the concrete wall on the inside, first with its right front wheel, then with the right rear. It was a significant side impact. After the initial impact, the car slid down the wall for approximately 15 seconds before coming to a stop. »

McLaren also clarified that its driver remained currently in hospital for observation, his participation in the next test session which is due to start on Thursday in Catalonia is currently uncertain.