The Spaniard looked to have risked missing at least the start of the 2021 season after fracturing his jaw in a cycling accident, but recovered in time for testing. Alonso revealed during a press conference that he would be racing with titanium plates inserted into his jaw during surgery for the duration of 2021.
However, the Alpine driver has reiterated this won’t affect his performance.
“I was lucky in the end,” he said. “I tell you that I was worried in the moment that it happened, because I’d been waiting all [of] the second part of last year, and obviously you’re preparing for the team presentation and the first test, and then suddenly you find yourself in a hospital after a bike accident – and you don’t know how long it’s going to take to recover.
“Luckily the first answer from the doctors was that in ten days or one week I should be ready to go, so I had to stay at home for one week with not much activity, but after that I was perfectly fine.”
Despite apparent progress shown by the French squad in pre-season testing, Alpine’s 2021 still looks set to be a battle for midfield supremacy, with Alonso pinning his hopes of a third title on the team poentially vaulting up the running order through the new 2022 regulations.