Alonso misses Alpine launch due to preparations after bike accident

Fernando Alonso will not attend the official launch of his new Formula One team Alpine next week. The Spaniard will focus on preparing for his return after a cycling accident.

Cycling accident in Switzerland

Earlier this month Alonso was involved in a cycling accident in Lugano, Switzerland. He was hit by a car and had to undergo surgery for a broken jaw. The two-time world champion had to stay in hospital for a few days after the operation but was then allowed to return home. According to his team, Alonso will be fully operational again to prepare for the coming season.

Not present at presentation

However, today the team announced that Alonso will not be present at the official presentation of the new car, next week on March 2 in England. "We regret to confirm that Fernando Alonso will not be present for the media Q&A on this occasion," Motorsport.com quoted. "The sanitary situation and the corresponding applicable rules do not allow him to do communication and marketing activities while he is undertaking his critical season preparation. We will instead publish a Q&A with Fernando for use by the media and he will be available to the media in Bahrain for the official pre-season tests."

Although the statement from Alpine remains rather vague, it seems that Alonso has been delayed in his preparation due to his accident. Due to travel restrictions to England, Alonso would have to be quarantined to attend the presentation, further delaying his preparation. Alonso's teammate Esteban Ocon, new team boss Davide Brivio, Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi and executive director Marcin Budkowski will attend the launch.