Alpine F1 driver Fernando Alonso is making “progress” after undergoing corrective surgery following an accident which left him with a fractured jaw.
Alonso, who is set to make his Formula One return in March, was hit by a car while cycling in the outskirts of Lugano, Switzerland on Thursday.
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“Following his cycling accident yesterday Fernando Alonso was kept under observation in hospital in Switzerland,” the Alpine F1 Team said in a statement.
“Medics discovered a fracture in his upper jaw and conducted a successful corrective operation. The attending medical team are satisfied with his progress.
“Fernando will remain under observation in hospital for a further 48 hours.
“Looking forward, after a few days of complete rest, he will be able to progressively resume training. We expect him be fully operational to undertake preparation for the season,” the newly rebranded team added.
Meanwhile, local Swiss police said the accident occurred in the early afternoon as a driver was making a turn and failed to spot Alonso.
“The Cantonal Police has announced that yesterday, shortly before 2 pm in Viganello, a 42-year-old Swiss driver living in the Lugano area was driving along Via La Santa in the direction of Pregassona,” police said in a statement.
“According to an initial reconstruction and for reasons that the police investigation will have to establish, while she was making a left-hand turn to enter a supermarket car park, she collided with a 39-year-old Spanish citizen, who was riding his bicycle and passing a line of stationary vehicles on the right. The collision took place against the right side of the car.
“Officers from the Cantonal Police and in support from the Lugano Police Force, as well as rescuers from the Lugano Green Cross, arrived on the scene and, after giving the cyclist initial treatment, took him by ambulance to hospital.”
Fernando Alonso last raced in Formula One in 2018, and he is still set to make his return after the two-year hiatus next month in Bahrain.
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