On February 11, Fernando Alonso suffered a bicycle accident that conditioned his preparation for returning to Formula 1, but which has also made the Spanish driver change his habits.
The life of Fernando Alonso It has changed since last February 11 he suffered a bicycle accident in Lugano, Switzerland. Although the incident did not bring him serious injuries, it did require that he undergo surgery for a jaw fracture that completely conditioned his preparation for the start of the 2021 Formula 1 season.
This is what the pilot himself admits, who in the official podcast of the premier class has admitted to what extent the accident has influenced his performance and his training habits.
«I still ride the bike a lot, but it has conditioned my preparation for daily training sessions»
“At that time it was not a problem,” says Fernando Alonso, who underwent surgery the next day and was discharged on February 15. “But seeing how the beginning of the season was, maybe he needed more time in the car or in the simulator”.
Fernando Alonso returned to Formula 1 after two seasons of absence and he had a complete simulator and test program scheduled with the 2018 car to get used to the demands of the premier class as soon as possible.
“Maybe missing the Paul Ricard test with the 2018 car was important… It took me five or six races to be at my 100%. Maybe without the accident I would have been fine in two or three. “Alonso admits.
Not surprisingly, the Asturian rider’s first third of the season was not good at all, being beaten repeatedly by Esteban Ocon and reaching his lowest point of the season in a bitter Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in which he found no rhythm. competitive in no time.
Now, with 20 races completed, Fernando Alonso is back to his old self and has even experienced the sensation of getting on the podium seven years after doing it for the last time in Formula 1.
Greater caution
But his performance at the beginning of the season is not the only thing that was altered by the bicycle accident, as Fernando Alonso admits that his daily routine it is also different now.
“I still ride the bike a lot, but I would say that my preparation for daily training has conditioned me,” acknowledges the Alpine rider. «It is not that I am afraid to go next to cars, but I do plan differently: Now I take the car to go 10 km away from the city to a quiet place where there are trialeras in the country or things like that ».
«Yes, I am aware that I do different things that I did not even think before. Now I am more careful with the bike. In Europe, in cities like Lugano, where I had the accident, the combination of cars and bikes is not going well ”, he concludes.
At the end of the season, Fernando Alonso will have to go under the knife again so that the metal square that was introduced during the February operation be removed. Thus, the Asturian will be able to conclude his recovery and focus 100% on a competition in which wants to be at least until 2023.