Fernando Alonso, Renault, Bahrain International Circuit, 2020

Alonso will not attend Alpine’s 2021 team launch

2021 F1 season

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Fernando Alonso, who fractured his jaw in a cycling accident earlier this month, will not attend Alpine’s launch event next week, the team has confirmed.

The two-times world champion, who is returning to F1 this year after missing the last two seasons, injured his jaw in a collision with a car while he was cycling in Switzerland two weeks ago. He had surgery on his upper jaw and spent 48 hours under observation before being released from hospital on February 15th.

Alpine ran a Renault RS18 chassis in a test at the Paul Ricard circuit on two days earlier this week, which Alonso did not participate in. Test driver Christian Lundgaard and Alonso’s team mate Esteban Ocon shared the car.

The team has now confirmed Alonso will not be present during their team launch on Tuesday next week. The event is being held online due to Covid-19 restrictions.

“We regret to confirm that Fernando Alonso will not be present for the media Q&A on this occasion,” the team stated. “The sanitary situation and corresponding regulations in place do not allow him to do any communications and marketing activities while he undertakes his critical season preparation.”

The team is due to join its rivals for pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit from March 12th to 14th.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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20 comments on “Alonso will not attend Alpine’s 2021 team launch”

  1. Maybe he’s not too talky yet either. Best that he heal.

  2. Flavio Briatore said in an interview to Peter Windsor that Alonso cracked his two front upper teeth, and that the damage to the jaw is next to and related. (he also said they are chatting every day on the phone so they are really BFFs, I didn’t know)

    1. Briatore is his manager.

      1. I know but still no reason to chat every day. You hardly do that with your girlfriend/boyfriend.

        1. @balue lol you sound like a real treat to be in a relationship with. Do they last long when you don’t bother to interact with your partner on a regular basis?

          1. @homerlovesbeer What a stupid comment. Attacking my person is against the rules, and saying that not chatting on the pone daily when away is the same as not ‘interacting on a regular basis’ is intentionally dishonest. Or maybe you never had a partner so no experience with what’s normal to do and not? It would explain it.

      2. He still is?
        Enemy warning: An enemy has been detected.

      3. Yep. Alonso still has a man who deliberately caused a collision as his manager.

        1. Thanks. Now do you still have chill pills?

  3. The fact he is chatting on the phone, speaks volumes.
    The initial thought that he was not going to be at the new car introduction was that with his jaw wired shut, he wouldn’t be able to do more than signing. Apparently not the case.
    It sounds like his injuries are not going to interrupt his training that much, so it should be all GO for the new season.. Not good news, but GREAT news.

    1. @rekibsn My general understanding is that an upper jaw break is far easier to deal with than lower, and that indeed when it is the upper there is no need to wire the jaw shut. So I just assumed when we heard upper jaw those weeks ago that he was not going to have a problem being ready for the season. Lower jaw would have been more involved depending on the severity.

    2. @rekibsn Yes great news for training, but getting your front teeth knocked out right before the season is bound to dent the confidence. Especially at his age IMO.

    3. @rekibsn
      Yeah, except I wouldn’t trust Briatore that much.
      The guy is not exactly famous for his honesty, after all.

  4. Alpine hasn’t turned a wheel yet, but the PR department’s nightmare has already started :) He is baaaaack!

    1. They must have thought as well: the less Alonso talks the better. He is a textbook driver that should limit his talking to the track. I personally am looking fwd to his political return and the chaos it will create at Alpine and in general. Netflix will be a big winner in all of this.

      1. Well he also did too much talking at the wheel, as we can all remember.

        1. No arguments there, a fine driver

        2. @macaque
          And at the radio.
          “It’s ridiculous, its’ ridiculous”
          “GP2 engine”

    2. No drama. It’s just that he doesn’t want to show up with his front teeth missing. It’s just not a good look.

      His false teeth can’t be put in before the sockets have healed fully.

  5. GP2 teeth!

    I jest. Get well soon Nando.

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