Article here in BBC by Andrew Benson, dated 27 Feb.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/31654193
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Originally Posted by Andrew Benson, BBC
Chief F1 writer Andrew Benson spoke to a leading neurosurgeon and head injury expert, Professor Steve Olvey about concussion.
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... he is arguably the world's leading figure in this field, has treated several world-class drivers with concussion, and is able to talk with authority in general terms about what can be expected in concussion injuries in motor racing.
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Professor Olvey said that the 33-year-old's time under observation was towards the upper limit of what is typical in such injuries.
"Concussion is really a spectrum from very mild to more severe, and anywhere along that spectrum you could be required to be in the hospital," Professor Olvey said.
"The majority of concussions actually don't require staying in the hospital, but some that are more severe could go as long as three days.
"It could be longer than that but that would be quite unusual."
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Originally Posted by Andrew Benson, BBC
McLaren chief executive Ron Dennis said in a news conference on Thursday that Alonso was "not even concussed", which contradicted earlier statements made by the team and Alonso's management.
Dennis was mistaken. Alonso was concussed in the accident, in which his head first hit one side of the cockpit and then the other, and after which he was unconscious for an unspecified period of time, which Dennis says the doctors say was "seconds".
Dennis did admit Alonso had suffered retrograde amnesia following the accident - where a patient cannot remember the incident that caused the injury and perhaps other aspects of his life.
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Originally Posted by Andrew Benson, BBC
And Olvey said doctors would be acutely aware of the risks inherent in Alonso suffering another head injury.
"We know it is risky to get into a situation where you could very possibly have another concussion," Professor Olvey said. "You do not want to have a second concussion if you have had a first concussion until the first one has completely healed.
"It's different for each individual but the bottom line is too many concussions too close together are thought to cause long-term effects that could have an effect on a person later in life, so it is not worth the risk."
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Originally Posted by Andrew Benson, BBC
However, the causes of the crash have not yet been fully explained.
McLaren say there is no evidence of a car failure and have said that they believe Alonso ran wide, perhaps as a result of strong gusting winds, the car was destabilised on the Astroturf on the outside of the corner and was spat back towards the inside of the track, where it hit the wall.
They say their telemetry read-outs prove Alonso was conscious up to the impact as he was braking at maximum force and changing gear.
But Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who was following the McLaren, said the car appeared to steer right towards the wall. It has not yet been explained why Alonso was braking but apparently did not try to avoid crashing.
If doctors believe he suffered some form of cerebral malfunction in the run up to the accident, then that could make a difference in whether he is allowed to return to the cockpit.
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