Swiss police confirm Fernando Alonso was hit by car while cycling
The F1 driver underwent surgery for a fractured jaw after the incident near his home
Swiss police have confirmed that Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso was injured after he was hit by a car while cycling.
The Spaniard was hospitalised last week after an incident while riding his bike near his home in Switzerland, which left him with a fractured jaw.
Alonso’s F1 team Alpine previously confirmed the 39-year-old has been involved in a crash but did not reveal further details.
But the Ticino division of the Swiss police has now released a statement about the incident, confirming that Alonso was it by a car as the driver pulled into a supermarket.
As reported by motorsport website Crash, the police said: “According to an initial reconstruction and for reasons that the police investigation will have to establish, while making a left turn manoeuvre to enter a supermarket parking lot, there was a collision with a 39-year-old Spanish citizen, who was riding his bicycle. He was passing the column of stationary vehicles in the opposite direction on the right.
“The collision occurred against the right side of the car.”
After the crash, Alonso was kept in hospital for observation and doctors discovered a fracture to his upper jaw.
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Alonso then underwent corrective surgery and after 48 hours of observation he has since been discharged to continue his recovery at home.
Alpine said Alonso will return to training after a few days rest and is expected to make a full recovery before pre-season testing in Bahrain from March 12-14 and the first Grand Prix in late march.
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The team said: “After a period of 48 hours observation in hospital in Switzerland, Fernando Alonso has now been discharged to continue his recovery at home.
“He will now have a short period of complete rest before progressively resuming training to undertake preparation for the start of the season.
“As always, thank you for your best wishes for Fernando’s recovery.”
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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