Fernando Alonso (39) sees himself well prepared for the comeback in Formula 1 just a month after his serious bicycle accident – but will carry two mementos of the broken jaw through the season.
“I have two titanium plates in my upper jaw, they will only be removed at the end of the year,” said the Spaniard shortly before his first start in the Alpine car during the test drives in Bahrain on Saturday.
In 2018 the two-time world champion had declared his career in the premier class over, now he is making his comeback for the French, formerly Renault. This seemed questionable in February when he collided with a car while training on road bikes and had to undergo jaw surgery.
“But that will no longer affect me,” said Alonso, “after nine or ten days I resumed normal training and was also in the simulator. In terms of driving, I’m at 100 percent”. The long Formula 1 break was also not a racing break: “I didn’t sit at home for two years, I was on the racetrack almost every weekend. I should be fine.”
Alonso had won the title with Renault in 2005 and 2006, and until 2018 he was also in action for Ferrari and McLaren. At the age of 39, he is coming back, the season starts on March 28th in Bahrain. On Saturday he will be officially back in Formula 1 for the first time on the desert circuit as part of the tests.
