24/03/2015
NEWS STORY
McLaren is clearly expecting returnee Fernando Alonso to be the centre of attention in Malaysia this weekend.
The Spaniard, who has to undergo two further tests on Thursday having successfully passed last weekend's initial assessments, is looking to return to the cockpit of his MP4-30 for the first time since his accident in Barcelona last month.
However, aware that circumstances surrounding the accident make it one of the biggest mysteries in the history of the sport, the Woking team is attempting to curb the media's enthusiasm.
"Due to unprecedented interest in Fernando's prospective return to racing this weekend, we ask all media to fully utilise Thursday's FIA session to ask questions about his accident, recovery and return," said the team in its media schedule issued today.
"In the interests of expediency, Fernando & the team kindly request that all remaining media opportunities on Friday, Saturday & Sunday be used for questions about the race weekend and the world championship. We will politely decline to answer further questions on the matter after Thursday's session."
However, the team has hardly helped the situation with its revelation that Alonso has now admitted that before the accident his steering felt heavy and that as a result the team is adding an additional sensor to his car to increase its data capture.
All this and Sebastian Vettel heading to the Mercedes garage with his notebook and camera.