Alonso's Crash

[Phil]

The topic is getting a bit out of control it seems. On one hand, I'm taking everything with a huge grain of salt. It just takes *one* report - false or accurate, it doesn't really matter - to say something bad and then you have the classic example of many other publications rehashing the same source as if it's another source which then makes it seem more probable. In the end, everyone is reporting it based on that same one singular source that couldn't be further from the truth.

Despite all this, I find one thing a bit concerning so far:

That Alonso won't be in Melbourne.

If it was a "minor" concussion and the only reason why he can not race is because the danger of experiencing another concussion could be bad or severe, then I would expect him to be with his team and follow the progress at the track, if not for moral support. I think the point that he will officially not be present points to something being more severe. I truly hope it isn't as severe as some reports are suggesting, but I do find the lack of information a bit concerning. If it was something very minor, then I would at least expect some kind of update to counter the grave reports that are surfacing.

I know head injuries are very complicated and complex to understand... but without wanting to overreact, I find the news and reports since the crash to be a bit concerning. Here's hoping that it isn't anything like that at all.

[CBeck113]

Another theory: the is Bernie's plan to get more attention for F1...wouldn't be below his level, that's for sure.

[Pieoter]

No, No! We have to keep it open - it's working like a bullshit magnet, and protecting the other threads

How about a simple theory: Alonso was covering up a health "condition", which is now blatantly obvious to the team. The team, still trying to secure sponsors, still want to use Alonso do get the sponsors, so they are trying to cover up his "condition".

Or this one: It was a "feature" malfunction, such as the brake compensation, which McLaren like the other teams will try to use as a traction control (hit the gas pedal, then the brake effect via brake by wire releases in a controlled manor ), causing the car to reactly strangely in his eyes, so he got off the gas and maybe intended to accelerate again, but instead was sent off the track...

JUST DON'T CLOSE THIS THREAD AGAIN!!!!! KEEP THE SH*T HERE!!!! Thank you

Seeing as the FIA can measure the torque at the driveshafts and torque requested by the accelerator I doubt this 'brake compensation' feature is used.

[ecapox]

Listen, i'm just stating what i have found online. My job is not to be a reporter and check and verify all accounts of what i found online. Furthermore, since the original source was not in my native language, nor my secondary language, but only my tertiary language, i can't "investigate" the source.

Do i believe it, no. Do i believe that there is some truth to what was written, yes. I'm not personally making this stuff up, AND i am even citing the sources of where i got the news from and where the place i got the news from, got the news from. Short of me going and interviewing the doctors directly, not much else i can do with regards to transparency.

Furthermore, i'd argue that if you want this thread locked, or are sick of reading the "speculation", you should just stop reading this thread and look elsewhere. There are a lot of places i don't go on the internet because i'm not interested in what is being said. i'd suggest you also do that as well for this thread.

[Richard]

Re Closing the thread:

We did close the thread in the immediate furore and brouhaha, but that's common with high profile events that attract shrill voices. We then find those shrill voices have a limited attention span so they go off to be shrill about something else after 24 hours. We can then reopen the thread for the more measured patient voices.

IMHO The balance now seems to be about right. We need a space for the more outlandish stuff to be debunked (often with humour) and the possible/probable to be debated.

Also IMHO we've exhausted this week's "Spanish sources" which seems to be entirely derived from a 2 or 3 line comment from one person who knows someone who knows the Alonso family's milkman.

[adrianjordan]

Okay, so being very pedantic here, but if Fernando had been "electrocuted" then he would be dead: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/defin ... lectrocute

Okay, so being very pedantic here, but your link says "injure or kill".

D'Oh..!! Well that will teach me to replace a Wikipedia link with a more reputable without first reading the new link's information....!!

In that case, I withdraw my statement and rest in the satisfaction that I was right in an earlier argument (years ago) where someone corrected me in the same way I attempted to correct this thread!!!

[nzjrs]

Or this one: It was a "feature" malfunction, such as the brake compensation, which McLaren like the other teams will try to use as a traction control (hit the gas pedal, then the brake effect via brake by wire releases in a controlled manor ), causing the car to reactly strangely in his eyes, so he got off the gas and maybe intended to accelerate again, but instead was sent off the track...

How about... McLaren were testing a new F-duct where the driver must reach outside the cockpit and manually flap his hand about in the airstream. Sources say the invention was conceived watching children perform a similar movie when going on long trips with their parents. An eye witness reported Alonso loosing control when performing this difficult manoeuvre.

[damager21]

I thought a day or two after the accident, Alonso tweeted (maybe his PR team) that he is fine. Are we to believe that in 2 days he remembered everything and a week later he shared a video message that he is fine?

I see this more of a conspiracy by some competition team to try and malign McLaren's image or maybe pressurize them to share more info about Honda PU and its working.

The fact that McLaren faced a series of problems with MGU-K has prompted rumours about electric shock. I think this will die out at Malaysia once Alonso is fit and fine and participates in the race. There are reports floating that few teams are contemplating pulling out of Australia on grounds of safety. They want Honda to share telemetry data.

Just goes to show that this or these teams are trying to pressurize FIA so that they get more info about MP4-30 and Honda's PU

[efuloni]

It is very simple: if it was absolutely impossible that he received an eletric shock, this possibility wouldn't be discussed by people who know more about the tecn. being tested than we do.

Thats my opinion, though.

Sometimes, we must realize that we simply dont have all the facts neither the knowledge to make such conclusions and all we can do is wait for more data and trust the experts.

[Mesteño]

It is very simple: if it was absolutely impossible that he received an eletric shock, this possibility wouldn't be discussed by people who know more about the tecn. being tested than we do.

Thats my opinion, though.

Sometimes, we must realize that we simply dont have all the facts neither the knowledge to make such conclusions and all we can do is wait for more data and trust the experts.

You can say it louder but no clearer. Some engineers reported it is difficult but not impossible.

[turbof1]

It is very simple: if it was absolutely impossible that he received an eletric shock, this possibility wouldn't be discussed by people who know more about the tecn. being tested than we do.

Thats my opinion, though.

Sometimes, we must realize that we simply dont have all the facts neither the knowledge to make such conclusions and all we can do is wait for more data and trust the experts.

You can say it louder but no clearer. Some engineers reported it is difficult but not impossible.

So we are going from "difficult & near impossible to eletro shock" to "he definitely got shocked"? Yeah... . Note to myself: a possibility that is near impossible equals fact from now on. You learn something every day.

You can count on it that those engineers will probably have thought "no chance at all he got electrocuted", only to leave the door a tiny tiny bit open so that they can't get critisized afterwards.

[Mesteño]

My position is not systematically refuse anything. From that point there are some evidences and it is a possibility.

[efuloni]

It is very simple: if it was absolutely impossible that he received an eletric shock, this possibility wouldn't be discussed by people who know more about the tecn. being tested than we do.

Thats my opinion, though.

Sometimes, we must realize that we simply dont have all the facts neither the knowledge to make such conclusions and all we can do is wait for more data and trust the experts.

You can say it louder but no clearer. Some engineers reported it is difficult but not impossible.

So we are going from "difficult & near impossible to eletro shock" to "he definitely got shocked"? Yeah... . Note to myself: a possibility that is near impossible equals fact from now on. You learn something every day.

You can count on it that those engineers will probably have thought "no chance at all he got electrocuted", only to leave the door a tiny tiny bit open so that they can't get critisized afterwards.

I am not saying he got electrocuted. Im not even saying that he 'probably' got electrocuted. All I'm saying is that we can't say, from our houses far far away, that he was NOT electrocuted. We are not in position to say anything except what was told in the press, cause we simply dont have enough data or knowledge to do so.

Again: all we can do is wait for more info.

[Tim.Wright]

You can count on it that those engineers will probably have thought "no chance at all he got electrocuted", only to leave the door a tiny tiny bit open so that they can't get critisized afterwards.

I'd put myself in that group. I don't see a reason to believe he was shocked and I think its very very unlikely but I'm not naive enough to state that its categorically impossible. Consider that the driver's have a fist full of electronics in their hands and they have a wire leading up to their earpieces. A leak from the high voltage system to the low voltage system could at least give him a tickle...

[FrukostScones]

It is very simple: if it was absolutely impossible that he received an eletric shock, this possibility wouldn't be discussed by people who know more about the tecn. being tested than we do.

Thats my opinion, though.

Sometimes, we must realize that we simply dont have all the facts neither the knowledge to make such conclusions and all we can do is wait for more data and trust the experts.

You can say it louder but no clearer. Some engineers reported it is difficult but not impossible.

So we are going from "difficult & near impossible to eletro shock" to "he definitely got shocked"? Yeah... . Note to myself: a possibility that is near impossible equals fact from now on. You learn something every day.

You can count on it that those engineers will probably have thought "no chance at all he got electrocuted", only to leave the door a tiny tiny bit open so that they can't get critisized afterwards.

I fail to find a meaning in those three posts together.