Alonso to miss Bahrain GP

[Moneyseeker]

Alonso has been ruled out of racing on medical grounds following his crash at Melbourne.

Stoffel Vandoorner will sub.

[S griffin]

Deja vu for Alonso after missing the Aussie GP last year due to injury

This should be a career defining race for Vandoorne.

[bella]

obviously a bit gutted for alonso but absolutely over the moon for stoffel. he's just THAT good.

[Born Racer]

It's great to see the fantastic Stoffel Vandoorne get his chance, because I was disappointed he didn't get to make the step up this year. I hope he gets a fair shake and chance to show what he can do, because it could keep him in the frame for future Formula 1. This will be one of the things to follow.

Not good for Fernando of course, but it's a relief to see that he only sustained a fractured rib (and fractured seat I read) in that.

[BSchneiderFan]

I'm not known for my love of the Spaniard but it's a shame he's injured. Mind you, fractured ribs and a pneumothorax is a relatively light price to pay for such a huge accident - it could have been a hell of a lot worse. Big opportunity for Vandoorne to prove himself against Button.

[Razor]

Very scared when I read air was found in his chest cavity. Usually that's really bad news. Surprised he didn't suffer a fully collapsed lung.

[chillibowl]

Alonso might not be racing but he was mixing it up with Herbert who apparently had suggested that the Spaniard was lacking in motivation and should retire.

http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/124...irement-claims

[wolfhound]

On the subject of broken ribs I seem to remember Niki Lauda taking part in the 1976 Spanish GP with more serious damage to his ribs and finishing second.

But they were different times.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by wolfhound

On the subject of broken ribs I seem to remember Niki Lauda taking part in the 1976 Spanish GP with more serious damage to his ribs and finishing second.

But they were different times.

Although I don't recall that, you must bear in mind that those were not the litigious times that we live in now. I am not even sure whether the FIA had it's own medical delegate back then; it is more likely that it would have been a local doctor that would have been in attendance, and they certainly didn't have all the most up-to-date medical equipment that today's F1 travel around the world with. Their medical centre would put some mid-size hospitals to shame, with much of the credit going to Sid Watkins and Gary Hartstein.

p.s. Just to add that it is not necessarily the fractured ribs that are the important factor, it is which ribs are affected. It would seem as though Alonso's ribs gave in around the lungs, and considering the huge pressure his chest would be under during breaking and cornering, it might have been considered to be not worth the risk of further damage to his lungs.

[Adam43]

Off topic, but credit for the medical improvements should also go to the Bernie.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Adam43

Off topic, but credit for the medical improvements should also go to the Bernie.

True. It is easy, with his antics currently, to forget or overlook all the things that he has done that has benefitted F1.

[Moneyseeker]

Glad to see that the FIA wasn't bullied by Ron Dennis in his attempt to get Alonso to drive this weekend, what was he thinking, the whole point of official doctors is to stop teams and or drivers, trying to use their own medical opinion to put a driver back in the car when the FIA deems it unsafe.

Quite rightly, the FIA's doctors opinion should be final.

[BSchneiderFan]

Hear hear.

[chillibowl]

Makes sense to have a set of FIA doctors who have the final say...but surely their job is to examine and be available for the drivers medical needs.

I'm not sure I understand their rational for not allowing another scan/examination on Saturday before quali even if it was just to humour their patient.

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

Alonso might not be racing but he was mixing it up with Herbert who apparently had suggested that the Spaniard was lacking in motivation and should retire.

http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/124...irement-claims

Good on Mr Alonso to confront the people who are hanging effluent on him!

[chunterer]

That was coming for a while Johnny's had it in for him for some time.

He was one of my heroes as a youngster but he is a bit too biased towards the Brits and young drivers!!

[VIVA GT]

I've always liked Johnny Herbert, and never really been a fan of Alonso.
Having said that, I did like Alonso's approach there, quite classy!
(Not being a Sky subscriber I can't comment on any bias JH may show on TV).

[Akrapovic]

Never been an Alonso fan, but being criticised for lack of motivation given what he's driving, and being criticised for missing Bahrain through FIA Doctors orders is ludicrous.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

Makes sense to have a set of FIA doctors who have the final say...but surely their job is to examine and be available for the drivers medical needs.

I'm not sure I understand their rational for not allowing another scan/examination on Saturday before quali even if it was just to humour their patient.

I would assume that this was because the doctors that reviewed the images from the Wednesday/Thursday scan deemed it highly improbable that the reason they came to their decision would alter in one or two days. Otherwise, I would further assume, they would have said that he was to remain out of the car until a further scan on Saturday.

What they actually said was that for Alonso's wellbeing that he should remain out of the car until they conducted a further scan prior to the Shanghai race which was to take place in a further two weeks. I repeat what I wrote before that I guess that they are concerned that his ribs might further damage his lung/s if they are not given further time to heal, and time is the best remedy for rib fractures.

[Moneyseeker]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

Makes sense to have a set of FIA doctors who have the final say...but surely their job is to examine and be available for the drivers medical needs.

I'm not sure I understand their rational for not allowing another scan/examination on Saturday before quali even if it was just to humour their patient.

I think that for ruling a driver out for injury (particularly after a high speed impact) the decision will be made in the week before the race at the latest and that is final as no doctor wil think that you will make sufficient recovery in a couple of days.

For common minor ailments that drivers often pick up like flu or food, stomach ailments, etc that might rule a driver out of the car for Friday sessions, I am sure those can be presented again to the FIA doctors on Saturday as they will accept that a driver can recover from those enough in a couple of days.

[chillibowl]

Apparently Alonso's doctors felt he had recovered sufficiently so some doctors do.

Obviously we don't know the full extent of his injuries but that's not really the point is it's?

Either doctors are available to their patients or they are not. Now if they were examining another patient and didn't have time that's understandable, but that's not the case is it?

These drivers need to have trust in the FIA medical staff and a belief that they are there for the drivers health and not to protect the FIA's best interests...I don't feel that their choice to not reexamine will help with that trust.

[Mike Harte]

chillibowl, I could easily go to my doctor and tell him that I no longer require medical assistance, and he would happily take me at my word and sign me off. Very much like a lot of doctors will take patients at their word that they have a bad back and need to be signed off work for a period of time.

We must, have to, trust the FIA's medical team to act in the very best interests of the drivers. Their dedicated medics will have first hand knowledge of Alonso's situation having been at the trackside with him in Melbourne, would have examined carefully the scan results from that afternoon and compared them with the scans done prior to Bahrain.

The FIA medical team had absolutely nothing to gain from not allowing Alonso to participating in Bahrain, but conversely, they could have been held to be irresponsible if Alonso had further exacerbated his condition.

Doctors should always, IMHO, err on the side of caution. I am alive because of that attitude.

[JeremySmith]

I feel that if the FIA doctors do not pass a driver as being fit to race that should be the end of it ..

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

chillibowl, I could easily go to my doctor and tell him that I no longer require medical assistance, and he would happily take me at my word and sign me off. Very much like a lot of doctors will take patients at their word that they have a bad back and need to be signed off work for a period of time....

yep lots of good, bad and self serving doctors out there ...im not sure if that analogy helps or hurts your position though

anyways my point isnt whether or not Alonso was healthy enough to race (im not a doctor nor privy to his health details) or who should have the final say (actually i agree that the FIA doctors should have the final word).

all i am saying is that if one of their 30 patients requested a secondary examination then they should get one even if the result would have been the same and the more serious they believe the injuries to be the more they should be examining him even if that means daily or hourly. heck they should have examined him multiple times over the weekend as they had access to Alonso, Alonso wanted the examinations, and to help chart his progress towards healing.

its what they are there for and their failure to do so i think exposes a weakness in their system...a weakness Jean Todt even acknowledged over the weekend.

However, Dennis' frustration in Bahrain was compounded by the fact Alonso's injuries caught everyone by surprise, after the FIA gave him a clean bill of health in Melbourne.

Todt said: "We will make deeper checks after such accidents in the future, perhaps even if it is necessary to follow closely the development of the driver in the following three or four days (after a crash)."

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns33468.html

[Mike Harte]

The fact that Alonso was there is immaterial. And just as we are not privy to his medical records, neither are we aware that he even wanted to have another scan. However, we do know that Ron Dennis wanted it to happen, whilst we also know, from his own mouth, that Alonso was accepting of the doctors' decision knowing that it was done in his best interests.

Furthermore, all we know is that Alonso's doctor/s in Spain confirmed that the trapped air between his lungs and rib cage had dissipated, but there was no word about anything else. And as has been said, the FIA's medical team's word is the final one regardless of whatever anyone else says. I also think that Todt's view should be ignored, because he usually doesn't know what he is saying. Alonso flew back to Spain after the accident, but would have done so only after the FIA's doctors had cleared him to fly. They had to be involved in that decision because of the inherent dangers from flying in a pressurised aircraft with such injuries. And I am dammed sure that the FIA didn't give him a clean bill of health after the accident.