Alonso reveals: 'Drove half the season with pain'

Fernando Alonso has revealed that he ran a large number of races last season with injuries resulting from broken bones. To Formula1.com the Aston Martin driver says he did not fully recover from his injuries until late in the season.

Just one day before the first free practice, Aston Martin announced that Lance Stroll is able to drive in the first race weekend of 2023. The Canadian had suffered a cycling accident and had to undergo minor surgery. His teammate Alonso made it clear that Stroll is not the only person in the team who has experience of this.

During qualifying for the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, Alonso lost control of his Alpine. The car reportedly had a hydraulic problem, causing Alonso to skid off the track on a fast corner and land in the crash barrier. Although it was clearly a bad crash, Alonso was at the starting line as normal the next day and drove every race in the rest of the season without any problem.

'Until August I was not fully recovered'

Now Alonso has revealed that that was not quite the full story. The collision reportedly did have serious consequences. "In my case, yes, I broke a few bones in both hands last year, so until August I was not fully recovered and had some pain, but we love driving!"

In the end, the race itself was not a great success for Alonso. Although he was able to keep up in the midfield for most of the race, a poorly timed pit stop meant he ended up last with more than a lap behind race winner Charles Leclerc.