Fernando Alonso will race in this weekend's Malaysian Formula 1 Grand Prix providing he passes final fitness tests at the Sepang circuit, his McLaren team said ahead of the weekend at Sepang.
The assessment, to be carried out by the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA), is scheduled for Thursday.
Spanish media reported on Sunday that the double world champion, who spent time in the team's simulator last week, had been cleared to travel to Malaysia after passing memory and reflex tests in England.
Alonso suffered concussion after crashing in testing in Barcelona last month, missing the March 15 Australian season-opener.
Malaysia is the second round of the season and Alonso's manager has said the final checks should be a formality.
"Since his Barcelona testing accident, Fernando has followed a rigorous, specialised training programme, designed and closely monitored by leading sports scientists, to ensure his safe and timely return to racing," McLaren said in a statement.
The team said Alonso had also spent time with senior engineers, discussing the accident and reviewing data and analysis.
"While there was nothing evident in the extensive car telemetry data, nor anything abnormal in the subsequent reconstructions and laboratory tests, Fernando recalls a sense of 'heavy' steering prior to the accident," the team said.
"Consequently, the team has fitted an additional sensor to the car, to increase our data capture."
The Spaniard can expect a hard weekend in sweltering Sepang, with McLaren, who have not won a race since 2012, several seconds off the pace in Australia.
Jenson Button finished last and was lapped in Melbourne after the Briton and Danish team mate Kevin Magnussen qualified on the back row.
Alonso is returning to McLaren, the team he drove for in 2007, after five years at Ferrari and at the start of a new Honda-powered era for the former champions.
The 33-year-old suffered temporary memory loss in his crash, with some reports suggesting he had forgotten in the immediate aftermath that he was a Formula 1 driver and could not initially remember anything after 1995. McLaren have played down those reports.
McLaren Statement:
McLaren-Honda is pleased to announce that, subject to a successful final FIA medical assessment this Thursday 26th March at the Sepang International Circuit, Fernando Alonso will return to the cockpit of his MP4-30 car for this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix.
Since his Barcelona testing accident, Fernando has followed a rigorous, specialised training programme, designed and closely monitored by leading sports scientists, to ensure his safe and timely return to racing.
At the McLaren Technology Centre last week, Fernando 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 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, Fernando recalls a sense of ‘heavy’ steering prior to the accident. Consequently, the team has fitted an additional sensor to the car, to increase our 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.
Latest News
Loading
