Fernando Alonso: Formula 1 driver suffered a broken upper jaw in a bicycle accident

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Fernando Alonso at the Dakar Rally in January 2020

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ANDRE PAIN / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock

The two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso suffered a fracture of his upper jaw in his bicycle accident in Switzerland.

As his racing team Alpine announced, the doctors in the hospital have successfully performed corrective surgery.

The doctors are satisfied with "his progress".

The 39-year-old will stay in the hospital for another 48 hours for observation.

After "a few days of complete rest, he will be able to gradually resume training," it said.

"We expect that it will be fully operational to start preparing for the season." Further news will be published "in due course."

What happened to Alonso?

Alpine, the former Renault team, had confirmed Alonso's collision with a car on Thursday evening, but did not provide any precise information about possible injuries and the course of the accident.

Alonso was conscious and responsive, it said.

The accident happened near Alonso's adopted Swiss home, Lugano, during a training lap on a racing bike.

The Formula 1 driver from Oviedo has been a hardworking and enthusiastic cyclist for years.

In 2013 he was even about to take over a cycling team, but negotiations with the then Euskatel team failed.

The British broadcaster BBC and the Spanish sports newspaper »Marca« reported that Alonso had been taken to a hospital in Bern.

Because of the unexplained consequences for Alonso, doubts arose as to whether he would be able to contest the only three-day official test drives in a month and make his comeback in Formula 1 on March 28 in Bahrain.

According to the latest statement from Alpine, it looks like everything will work out: After a two-year break with Renault's successor Alpine, Alonso wants to attack again in Formula 1 this season.

In 2001 he entered the premier motorsport class.

In 2005 he won his first world title.

In 2006, the Renault won the second World Cup and switched to McLaren.

Alonso went to Ferrari for the 2010 season, where he was runner-up three times in the coming years, before returning to McLaren in 2015.

Later, during his Formula 1 break, he drove at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, among others, he started in Indianapolis and took part in the Dakar Rally.

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mon / dpa