Fernando Alonso has announced that he will have more surgery this winter as a result of his cycling accident at the start of the year.
Fernando Alonso, the Alpine driver, is preparing for more surgery during the Formula One winter break to address the long-term implications of his pre-season cycling accident.
In a February incident in Switzerland, Alonso fractured his jaw and underwent first surgery, which he confessed would require a follow-up procedure.
Alonso will return home after his final scheduled appearance of the year, a tyre test in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, to prepare for the treatment, which will involve the removal of two titanium plates from his top jaw.
“My destiny in the winter will be to go to the hospital,” Alonso is quoted by Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo.
“First to have the plates removed from my face and jaw from the accident in February, and then to have a few weeks’ rest because of it.”
“High hopes” for 2022
At the Yas Marina Circuit, Alpine had a strong finish to the season, with Alonso and colleague Esteban Ocon finishing eighth and ninth, respectively.
Ocon’s triumph in Hungary and Alonso’s podium finish in Qatar were highlights, with the Spaniard sure that the team is well-positioned to benefit from next year’s rule changes.
“More power on the straights are more downforce in the corners – that’s what we aim for next year!” Alonso told media, including RacingNews365.com.
“I think the trackside [operation] is quite strong. Again, we saw [in Abu Dhabi] that we scored points with both cars, maybe in a race that we didn’t have the pace to score with both cars, so we are strong in many areas.
“We just need a competitive package out of the factories in Enstone and Viry[-Chatillon]. We’ve been working for several months now and we have high hopes, but let’s see [during testing] in February.”
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