Alonso electric shock theory will not go away, career in jeopardy? (3rd Update)
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| Villeneuve – if Alonso was electrocuted then F1 must abandon these horrible engines |
(GMM) Now just days before the start of the season, the now-rampant doubts about Fernando Alonso's mysterious testing crash will not go away.
Previously, suggestions there is more than meets the eye to what McLaren-Honda called a "normal" crash and concussion for the Spaniard were dismissed as mere conspiracy theories.
On Twitter, Alonso called it all "science fiction".
But the questions about what really happened in Barcelona's turn 3 and beyond are now being asked so widely and by so many that it is easily the hottest topic in the sport at present.
"I have been in Italy for three days," former F1 driver Patrick Tambay told RMC Sport. "I was invited by Ferrari to see the new buildings.
"Everyone there was talking about Fernando Alonso's accident, and they were calling it an electric discharge. There is a lot of concern for their former driver," said the Frenchman.
Doctors around the world are hypothesizing similarly.
"The known elements of the story are more than enough to say with confidence that Alonso has the typical symptoms of post-convulsive syndrome," Antonio Picano, an Italian psychiatrist, is quoted by La Repubblica newspaper.
"It is a transient noise of the brain that after being reset by an electric shock needs a certain period of time to resume its function."
He rubbished McLaren supremo Ron Dennis' claim that an electric shock always leaves a certain enzyme in the body, saying that is "nonsense".
Dr Picano added: "It is obvious that what happened to Alonso can happen to any other driver at any time."
In Spain, newly-emerged amateur video of the incident was published by the broadcaster Antena 3, with the Italian publication Autosprint surmising that a "strange noise" was made by Alonso's McLaren-Honda.
"What bothers me," said 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, "is that we do not know the full story.
"The wind? Come on, it also blows at Indianapolis when you're doing 380kph.
"Some people are talking about an electric shock but I can't comment on that. But if there was, it would mean that you cannot race anymore with these engines.
"There is something hidden and we are not being told, and that is worrying," Villeneuve added.
Gerhard Berger, a former grand prix winner, team owner and FIA official, urged the sport's governing body to get to the bottom of the Alonso crash mystery.
"It is important to clarify whether it was the technology or the driver (to blame)," the great Austrian is quoted by APA news agency.
"We need to understand what has happened here — someone has been hurt," Berger added.
03/05/15
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| Alonso leaving hospital |
Fears are growing that Fernando Alonso may never drive again.
Mirror Sport has learned that doctors and crash investigators have not excluded the possibility the double champion may have blacked out BEFORE the accident that has ruled him out of the season-opener in Australia a week on Sunday.
One eye witness who has seen footage of the smash at Turn 3 in Barcelona said far from losing control dramatically at high speed when he went off, as first reported, Alonso's car simply just drove off the track.
Alonso's management team could not be contacted yesterday, and McLaren have refused to comment on his medical condition.
However, a meticulous investigation has categorically ruled out a car or engine failure.
One eye witness said even though it was routine for drivers to survive much higher impacts Alonso was unconscious when medical services reached him and had to be lifted from the car.
Spanish newspaper El Pais has reported in hospital Alonso "woke up in 1995" having forgotten the last 20 years of his life.
As his memory returned Mirror Sport has been told later in the day he thought he was still driving for Ferrari, whom he left last season.
Now sources close to the Spaniard say he remembers everything except the accident itself and that he may never return.
Dane Kevin Magnussen is to take his place in Australia and McLaren have kept their plans open for the second round in Malaysia a fortnight later. Mirror Online
03/05/15 "Sky Italia, the F1 broadcaster, claims the Spanish driver has confided to close friends and family that he suffered a "major shock in his spine" before losing control of his McLaren-Honda and striking the Barcelona wall."
Honda is the only engine manufacturer with their MGU-K unit at the front of their engine, right up against the bulkhead separating the driver cockpit (see here).
Also, in reference to the supposed burn mark on the body work, wouldn't that be located approximately right were the Honda MGU-K unit is located?
Finally, wasn't this the test where Honda was trying to fix a "seal" problem to their MGU-K system each testing day with new parts flown in from Honda?
"The latest blow for McLaren-Honda comes at the start of a test where the team hoped a temporary switch to McLaren's own MGU-K components would allow more sustained running after repeated MGU-K troubles ruined last week's program per this report."
So, basically McLaren put in an old MGU-K unit for Alonso that day. After that (where apparently there were no problems with the car), they reverted back to the newer Honda MGU-K unit for the final test, only with the McLaren seal being used in the Honda MGU-K unit. This means Alonso was the only one to drive the car with this different, old MGU-K unit in it.
Telemetry reports (see images below):
Alonso entered T3 at 215kph, braked (why?), shifted 2 gears down (why?) & stayed on line. Running 135kph outside T3 exit he suddenly turned right. Alonso hit the wall on the inside 3sec later (105kph) without avoiding action. Car deceleration 31g, earpiece measured 16g. Notice spot #1 on the overhead view where, allegedly, the incident occurred. Do the driver's use KERS right through or out of this corner? One would think this is where they would begin to discharge (K)ERS.
03/05/15
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| What is Ron Dennis (R) and his McLaren team hiding? |
(GMM) Fernando Alonso's most striking symptom after crashing in Barcelona eleven days ago was a total loss of memory.
The Spanish daily El Pais claims that when the 33-year-old regained consciousness, he thought it was 1995.
"I'm Fernando," he told doctors, "I race karts and I want to be a formula one driver."
The newspaper said Alonso took a week to recover his memories of the past 20 years, including his Minardi debut in 2001, his two titles with Renault and his switch from Ferrari to McLaren-Honda for 2015.
McLaren, however, claims every medical test and scan has subsequently shown Alonso to be completely injury and symptom free, although doctors have sidelined him for Australia for fear of the potentially fatal 'second impact syndrome'.
This has raised eyebrows within the medical community.
"Invoking this hypothesis to justify him not racing next weekend makes no sense in this case," said Barcelona neurologist Dr Rafael Blesa.
"They (McLaren) claim all checks show no injury, meaning that the brain is just as it was before the accident. In that case, the first impact would have no effect in the event of a second," he explained.