Fernando Alonso 'lucky to be alive' after Australian GP horror crash

"It was a scary moment and a scary crash," Fernando tells Sky Sports

By Pete Gill

Monday 21 March 2016 14:07, UK

Fernando Alonso says he is "lucky" to be alive after surviving a horror crash in the Australian GP.

"It was a scary moment and a scary crash," a relieved Alonso later told Sky Sports. "I am lucky to be here and thankful to be here."

The race was stopped for twenty minutes while marshals swept away the remnants of the Spaniard's wrecked McLaren following its collision with the Haas of Esteban Gutierrez.

The force of the impact - reported to have measured 46gs - sent Alonso and his MP4-31 into the trackside barriers before somersaulted through the air across a gravel trap.

Incredibly, Alonso was unhurt - beyond a blow to his knee - and able to climb out of the car unaided.

As he scrambled out of what was left of his car, Spaniard was even sufficiently lucid immediately after the crash to think of his mother's anxiety, watching from her Spanish home.

"I saw a little gap and I got out quickly to make sure that my mum, who was watching the race on TV at home, could see that I was okay!"

The Melbourne stewards investigated the incident but, like Alonso, absolved Gutierrez of any blame.

"We were racing, I moved at the last moment and you don't have the full vision of the track. You try to defend but you don't know what the other guy is doing," the two-time world champion said.

"I'm amazed that Fernando walked away," added team-mate Jenson Button. "It just shows how far we've come with safety."

Alonso later posted on Instagram: "I am aware that today I spent some of the luck remaining in life, I want to thank @mclaren, the FIA for the safety on this cars. Also my colleagues and fans for the concern and unconditional support.

"Now it's time to rest and think about Bahrain, and get back in the car to get the first points of this year!!"