F1 driver boycott unlikely

Fernando Alonso of McLaren Honda during pre-season testing in Barcelona.

The mystery surrounding Fernando Alonso's pre-season crash and concussion is unlikely to mean safety changes or a driver boycott at Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

The doubts about the cause and effects of the crash have dominated Formula One since Alonso smacked the wall in testing in Barcelona more than a week ago. It has been revealed Alonso had his foot on the brake pedal for 15 seconds, far longer than normal in an F1 crash. And there is speculation that the two-time champion could have been unconscious before his car hit the wall.

The head of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, former F1 racer Alex Wurz, has called for calm and warned against knee-jerk safety changes.

"Firstly, we need to know if there are any immediate lessons we need to understand before Australia and the answer is no," said Wurz, who spent time at McLaren during his grand prix career.

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"Understanding is one thing, drawing conclusions is another. I have asked the drivers to be patient." But the Austrian has rubbished suggestions Alonso could have been electrocuted by a malfunction in the hybrid system fitted to his McLaren.

All F1 cars now run with high-voltage electrical systems that harvest brake and turbocharger energy, which is then stored in onboard batteries and released to boost output from the 1.6-litre V6 turbo engines.

The concern over the Alonso impact follows the awful crash at last year's Japanese Grand Prix

Wurz said it was important to wait for all the facts before considering any changes. "In the short term there is no need for knee-jerk reaction to make changes for Australia," he said.

"F1 safety standards are very high." The concern over the Alonso impact follows the awful crash at last year's Japanese Grand Prix when Marussia driver Jules Bianchi's car hit a crane that was recovering another smashed vehicle.

"In the long term you can learn from every accident," Wurz said. "I also know from accidents like Bianchi's it takes time to put the whole puzzle together. We need to be patient and let them get the job done. Experts are looking very carefully at the data."

"We understand all safety precautions worked according to the rules." Alonso is out of the Australian Grand Prix, to be replaced by Danish youngster Kevin Magnussen, but there is no decision yet from McLaren on whether the Spaniard will race in the Malaysian Grand Prix that follows a fortnight later.

The team is eyeing a return in Kuala Lumpur.