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Fernando Alonso to miss Australian Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso hasn't missed a Formula One race since the tire debacle at 2005 United States Grand Prix, but he won't be racing at the upcoming season-opener in Australia this month. The two-time world champion suffered a concussion in a crash during a pre-season test session in Barcelona late last month and was airlifted to a local hospital. He was subsequently released and went home to recover, but sat out the following test session. Now McLaren has announced that while he's recuperating nicely, his doctors have advised him to avoid a situation that could put him back in harm's way for the time being. McLaren and Alonso hope that he'll be back to racing condition in time for the second round at the Malaysian Grand Prix at the end of the month. But in the meantime Kevin Magnussen, who drove for the team last season before being bumped down to test and reserve driver, will drive the new Honda-powered MP4-30 at the Australian Grand Prix alongside Jenson Button.

Is Fernando Alonso preparing to sit out 2016?

Things have not been going well for Fernando Alonso since moving to McLaren. In fact they've been going so poorly that the Spanish driver may end up sitting out next season if things don't improve. At least those are the rumors presently occupying the Formula One paddock. The notion was first raised by McLaren chief Ron Dennis. When asked by reporters about Alonso's near-term future with the team, Dennis said, "I have an open mind to anything, and some of the ideas have involved those sorts of considerations, yes, sabbatical years etcetera." Though far from confirmed, the basic idea would be to see how next year's car performs in pre-season testing, and if it's not up to spec, Alonso could end up sitting out a season while McLaren and Honda get their partnership up to speed, so to speak. Alonso appeared to be puzzled by the prospect his boss raised, but couldn't rule it out, either. It would be a rather unprecedented move, but could end up avoiding some frustrations as the Anglo-Japanese teething process works itself out with time. Alonso has been a constant on the grid since 2003, missing only two grands prix in thirteen seasons: the 2005 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis when all the Michelin-equipped teams sat out the race in protest, and the Australian Grand Prix at the beginning of this year, when Alonso was still recovering from a crash in pre-season testing. Out of 254 grands prix contested to date, Fernando has landed on the podium 97 times, including 32 wins and two world championships. This season, however, he's only finished in the points once, with his fifth-place finish in Hungary. Of the eighteen races he contested this year, his car failed to get him to the finish line altogether at seven. His seventeenth place in the final standings for the season are the worst he's done since his debut in 2001 with Minardi (the team now known as Toro Rosso). News Source: Autosport (1), (2), (3)Image Credit: Clive Mason/Getty Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Motorsports Honda McLaren F1 mclaren-honda

McLaren Sports Series promises at least seven variants

Just how many different supercars can McLaren offer? The answer may yet surprise us even more than we anticipated. The British racing outfit is building a growing range of models around the same basic architecture that has already bred five different variants across two families: the Super Series (with the 625C, 650S and new 675LT) and the Ultimate Series (P1 and P1 GTR). That's already impressive as it is, but the addition of the upcoming new Sports Series promises to expand Woking's model line even further. Much further. According to the latest from Car and Driver, which sat down with McLaren's affable chief executive Mike Flewitt at the Geneva Motor Show last week, the new Sports Series will come in enough flavors to put an ice cream parlor to shame. We've known for some time that the company's upcoming entry-level range would come in at least three body styles, if not four. There'll be a coupe, a convertible and an unconventional GT version. But there will also be a number of engine specs available. The base model will wear the letter C, like the pared-down Asian market 625C. The next step up will be distinguished by the letter S, like the 650S. Both will be offered right from launch. But a third version could follow to serve as a baby brother to the new 675LT. Even if the latter is only offered in one body style, that means the Sports Series will come in seven different versions – giving potential buyers a similar array of choices they'd find if they went for a Porsche 911 or Audi R8. Pricing is similarly expected to target the upper end of the 911 range, landing somewhere between the 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S, which sell for $152k and $184k, respectively, in the US. Even at the upper end of that range, that's still substantially less than the $265k starting price for the 650S. To make up the difference, the Sports Series will do without active aero and suspension, but will still employ a similar carbon monocoque chassis and 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission – albeit de-tuned from upwards of 600 horsepower to somewhere in the 500-horse range. We'll have to sit tight and wait for more details, but the wait won't be long now as the McLaren Sports Series is set to debut at the New York Auto Show next month. News Source: Car and DriverImage Credit: McLaren New York Auto Show McLaren Convertible Coupe Supercars mclaren sports series