Stefano Domenicali, the Ferrari team principal, has paid tribute to the medical team who came to the aid of Fernando Alonso at last weekend's Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Domenicali thanked them for the way they responded after Alonso was involved in a race incident which registered an impact on his spine equal to 25 times the force of gravity.
In a letter to the trauma specialist Dr Mansoor Ali Khan, Domenicali praised “the very high level of your staff in terms of professional and human attitude”.
He added: “Everything worked very well thanks to you and your crew, and that is a key factor to avoid panic in potential critical situations. Getting such good medical assistance is very important in motor sport and you are a perfect example for other circuits.”
Domenicali also phoned Dr Sean Petherbridge, the chief medical officer of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE, the national motorsport authority and sporting organisers of the grand prix, to offer his thanks.
Alonso hurt his back when he took evasive action to prevent a collision between his Ferrari and Jean-Eric Vergne’s Toro Rosso.
After being examined at the Yas Marina Circuit medical centre, the Spaniard was transferred to Abu Dhabi’s Mafraq Hospital. A hospital CT scan ruled out any serious injury.
The incident involving Alonso occurred when the Spaniard came out of the pits after his second stop and found himself alongside Vergne, with almost no space between their cars.
Alonso went off the track completely before rejoining ahead of the Frenchman.
Vergne later said that the race stewards were right not to penalise Alonso as his actions prevented an accident.
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