Fernando Alonso is fit and 'fully operational' after jaw surgery and will be fine for Formula One's pre-season testing in Bahrain, his Alpine team boss said on Tuesday. The double world champion fractured his jaw in a collision with a car while cycling on a road near his home in Switzerland last month. "Fernando is doing very well," Alpine chief executive Laurent Rossi told reporters at the online launch of the team's new A521 car, with the Spaniard absent.
Lewis Hamilton says the outcome of his bid for a record eighth world championship this season will not determine whether he stays in Formula One. Asked how much his future hinged on his title bid, the Briton told reporters after the launch of his team's new W12 car that he did not want that to be the deciding factor. "Of course it's the ultimate dream (to be an eight times champion) but I don't think that's necessarily going to be the deciding factor whether I stay or keep going," added the sport's most successful driver.
Russian Daniil Kvyat will be Alpine F1 reserve driver this season, the Renault-owned team said at the online launch of its 2021 Formula One car on Tuesday. Kvyat lost his race seat at Red Bull-owned AlphaTauri to Japan's Yuki Tsunoda at the end of last season. The 26-year-old also served as Ferrari reserve in 2018 when he was also dropped by Red Bull.