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Alonso's version of accident at odds with McLaren's

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Fernando Alonso used the Thursday press conference at the Malaysian Grand Prix to counter some of the rumours surrounding his accident in pre-season testing, but in doing so offered an account that is at odds with McLaren's.

The McLaren driver missed the first race in Australia on medical advice following a concussion, although on Thursday he dismissed reports that he was unconscious immediately after the impact and could not remember it. Alonso, who has been cleared to race in Malaysia, said speculation and the team's early report that he was blown off course were incorrect. He believes the accident was down to a steering problem that McLaren's data did not pick up, but was serious enough to cause him to crash into the wall.

"I remember the accident and I remember everything the following day," Alonso said. "Obviously, with the team I have been working very closely on that and with the FIA, who were very helpful at all times. We were in close contact, all three parts, constantly and there is nothing in the data that is clear and we can spot and say that is the reason. But definitely we have a problem in the middle of turn three, a [steering] lock into the right and I approached the wall, braked at the last moment and downshifted from fifth to third and unfortunately in the data we are still missing some parts.

"Unfortunately, the acquisition data on that particular part of the car is not at the top, so there are some new sensors here for this race and there are some changes that we have done on the steering and the parts. That was the main thing and last week in the factory there was some work on the simulator to try to explain the new sensors and new parts that will go into this race."

He also rubbished reports that he woke up believing he was still in go-karts back in 1995.

"Everything was more or less as a normal concussion. I had this concussion, went to the hospital - I went to the hospital in good condition - and there is a time that I don't remember in the hospital from 16:00 to 18:00 or something, but everything was normal due to the medication they give you to go into the helicopter and to do tests at the hospital. Everything, as I said, was normal. I didn't wake up in 1995, I didn't wake up speaking in Italian, I didn't wake up doing all these things that are out there [in the media]."

Asked about McLaren's initial account that his car was blown off course, Alonso said: "Definitely not. I don't know if you have seen the video, but even a hurricane would not have moved the car at that speed. Also, if you have any problem or medical issue, normally your body will lose its power and you will go straight to the outside and I went to the inside - in a Formula One car you still need to apply some effort to the steering wheel. That's one thing.

"Honestly, with an accident and the repercussion of the accident with the news being in Spain, a lot of attention on that day and the first answers and press conference that the team had - with the information my manager and all the staff had - there was some guesswork on the wind and other possibilities. That creates a little bit of confusion, but you cannot just say nothing for three or four days until I say everything, because in these three or four days it will just become worse. They said there theory of the wind, but obviously it was not a help."

Asked specifically about the accident, Alonso says he was able to turn off the radio and the ERS unit before the marshals arrived on the scene.

"I can remember everything, I won't go into every detail because it is going to be long but I remember everything - the Sunday morning with all the set-up changes and lap times.

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"I think Vettel was in front of me before turn three but cut the chicane to let me go exiting the pit lane. After the hit I was kissing the wall for a while and then I switched off the radio first because it was on and then I switched off the master switch that we use for the batteries to switch off the ERS system so the marshals can touch the car. I was perfectly conscious at that time.

"I lost consciousness in the ambulance or clinic at the circuit, but the doctors said this is normal because the medication that they put you under for the transportation and the checks that they do in the hospital and MRI and evaluation needs this protocol and medication."

Asked how he could trust the car after an unexplained accident, Alonso said he was confident McLaren had taken every precaution to ensure it is safe.

"I fully trust the team and they have been one month looking at every component of the car, simulating the effects, doing so many tests and changing every single part that they had doubts about. I think we have the safest car right now because we thought they start as they did, and probably after one month I am the most checked driver, medically, in history. We should be fine, both of us."

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