FIA investigates Alonso's broken seat after crash

The FIA has launched an investigation into Fernando Alonso's spectacular Melbourne crash, with insiders saying the Spaniard was lucky to survive. Reports including one in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reveal the governing body's probe follows revelations Alonso's seat was actually broken as his McLaren-Honda flipped through the Albert Park gravel.

It is claimed Alonso's carbo-fibre seat broke at around shoulder height due to forces exceeding 46G, triggering the investigation as the FIA aims to learn from the accident for the future. The report said the all-new rearwards-facing, ultra slow-motion camera that was made mandatory in 2016 will be fundamental to the study. And Corriere della Sera concluded: "If the chassis of the McLaren-Honda can be repaired for Bahrain, Alonso will have a new engine installed because it was heavily damaged in Australia." (GMM)