Alonso requires further jaw surgery after biking accident

Alpine’s Fernando Alonso will undergo further surgery to his jaw later this year following his biking accident in Switzerland last month.

The two-time World Champion collided with a car while training and suffered a broken jaw, which required immediate surgery.

Alonso was deemed fit to take part at pre-season testing ahead of his full-time Formula 1 comeback this year after resting at home following his surgery.

The Spaniard says he isn’t anticipating any problems to surface during the year, but confirmed that he will have another operation to remove titanium plates from his jaw at the end of 2021.

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“I don’t expect any issues, honestly,” Alonso said. “I’ve been training for now three weeks or two weeks, absolutely normal.

“I’ve been in the simulator as well Monday and Tuesday so the preparations were not affected too much.

“I missed only a couple of marketing days and filming days, which I was happy about in a way! Then I recovered everything yesterday afternoon, I had a very intense day of marketing activities.

“I feel fine. Obviously one thing is the professional side and driving side, which I’m 100 per cent. On the personal [side] I will have to remove two titanium plates which I have in the upper jaw which will be removed at the end of the season.

“So still some things going on at the end of the championship but it will not affect my professional life.”

Alonso is returning to F1 having spent the previous two years taking part in different racing programmes, which followed a disappointing stint at McLaren from 2015 to 2018.

Although he anticipates having to re-learn aspects to an F1 race weekend, Alonso expects the process to be “smooth”.

“I don’t fear any particular challenge,” Alonso said. “How the midfield is right now is very competitive, it’s something that we are aware of, that we need to maximise and make perfect every weekend if we want to score good points.

“There are [a] couple of things after being a few years out I will have to re-learn a little bit and get used to but in terms of driving again or in terms of approaching the weekend working with the team, it should be quite smooth.

“I was not two years at home, I was racing every weekend basically, so it should be fine.”