Fernando Alonso was involved in a cycling accident before his return to Formula One in 2021. Even while the Spaniard was able to start the season on time, he believes it may have hampered his early races in the Alpine car.
Fernando Alonso believes his pre-season cycling accident influenced his early-season challenges to adjust to the Alpine car.
The Spaniard returned to Formula One this season after a two-year absence, but his preparations were affected in February when he was injured in a car accident while cycling in Switzerland.
Despite undergoing surgery for a fractured upper jaw, Alonso was able to start the season on time in March. While he admits it wasn’t a major concern at the time, the two-time World Champion now believes the incident caused him to take longer to adjust to the Alpine due to the fact that he missed some training time in the car.
“I think at that time it was not a concern,” Alonso told the podcast.
“Because quickly the doctor said that I will be fine within 10 or 12 days after the operation, and that was at the beginning of February, so it was not a concern.
“But looking at how the beginning of the season went on my side, I think more time in the car was needed. More time in [the] winter period was needed for me in the simulator at the factory.
“Maybe I missed one Paul Ricard test with a 2018 car that the team did at the beginning. It took me five or six races to get to my 100 percent this year.
“Maybe without the accident that [would have happened] after two or three [races], so it was a setback in a way.”
Still cycling
Alonso has not been deterred from cycling as a result of his injury, though he has changed his approach to the activity.
“I still cycle a lot, but I would say that it did change a little bit [of] my approach for training daily,” he explained.
“It’s not that I’m afraid now, of course, but I try to plan my day in a different way. Maybe I take the car and I go out of the city, 10 kilometres or whatever, to a quiet place, when I know that there are some trails or something to cycle a little more comfortably there.
“So I’m aware that I’m doing things that before I was not even thinking of, and I’m a little bit more careful on the bike now.”
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