Croft Doubts Alpine’s Claims of Fernando Alonso Recovering From Cycling Accident

Fernando Alonso will make his return to F1 after two years away from the paddock. But, while training for the 2021 season, the Spaniard suffered a major cycling accident that saw him sustain a broken jaw among other injuries. Hence, the F1 commentator for Sky, David Croft, is worried about the racer’s fitness status in the lead-up to winter testing on March 12.

The double world champion who was cycling in Lugano, Switzerland, met with the accident on February 11. He was immediately taken to the hospital and underwent successful injury on his broken jaw.

In an interview, David Croft opined that the timeline given for Alonso’s return to full fitness is highly optimistic indeed. He said, “Fernando suffered a pretty nasty cycling accident that left him with a fractured jaw.”

“That sort of injury can often take around six weeks to heal, but the accident came less than a month before the test gets underway.”

MONTMELO, SPAIN – MAY 14: Fernando Alonso of Spain and McLaren Honda during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

The Brit touched on the fact of the Spaniard’s appearance at the Alpine launch without talking as a cause for concern. He said, “His appearance on a screen at the Alpine launch without talking did little to back up the claims that all is okay, so the question needs answering:”

“Is Fernando fit? We’ll find out on Saturday when he drives the A521 for the first time…”

Fernando Alonso will make a surprise return to F1 in 2021. During his time away from F1, he kept himself race fit as he took part in other motorsport series. Those series included IndyCar and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

An interesting comparison would be with Alonso’s rival in the mid-00s, Michael Schumacher‘s return to F1 in 2010. He returned after three years and was clearly a pale shadow of his great self on the grid.

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – NOVEMBER 25: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP and Fernando Alonso of Spain and McLaren F1 talk on the grid before the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Charles Coates/Getty Images)

Part of this could be attributed to his advanced age as he was in his 40s when he returned. Furthermore, he also couldn’t come to terms with the advancement in machinery.

Alonso finds himself in a similar position to Schumacher. He will need to adapt to a car, which is an unknown quantity at the moment. The fact that the Alpine will be the sole car on the grid with a Renault power unit makes for an interesting narrative as well. But Alonso’s fitness will dominate conversations as he will need to be at his absolute best to squeeze out everything he can from the car.