Alonso fit for Italian Grand Prix

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Written by Sue Duffy

It would be fair to say that Fernando Alonso is an incredibly lucky man following his recent crash at the Belgian Grand Prix, with the driver extremely fortunate not to incur a serious head injury. Instead, the Spaniard got off with a mere shoulder problem and he claims that he will definitely be fit for the Italian Grand Prix.

After the summer break, there was plenty of excitement for the Belgian Grand Prix yet all of that positivity soon turned to worry following a horrific crash at the start of the race. RomainGrosjean's Lotus was the cause of the crash, with the out-of-control vehicle swerving into Alonso's Ferrari and also ending the race of Sergio Perez. Kamui Kobayashi and Lewis Hamilton were other drivers affected and following the crash, the Frenchman has now been handed a one race ban.

Even though Alonso only came out with a shoulder issue, there were worries that the Ferrari man would not be fit for the Monza event this weekend. However, he has quickly moved to dismiss such rumours, telling reporters that he is "200% prepared for the race". This will come as a huge relief for his team, with the 31-year-old currently top of the drivers' championship with a 24 point lead.

While the crash somewhat marred the return of Formula 1, there were still plenty of positives to take from the Belgian Grand Prix. The track provided the incredible scenic views that spectators have come accustomed to over the years, while Jenson Button romped to an easy victory after taking advantage in the early stages of the race. The runner up was previous champion Sebastian Vettel although he will be the first to admit that he was a long way off first place and never ever threatened the eventual winner.

There's no doubt that competitors will face a completely different test in the next race, with the Italian Grand Prix being the last European test on the schedule. With the AutodromoNazionale Monza hosting the event no less than 61 times previously, practically every driver has had a taste of the track in previous years and it will be interesting to see how all of the big names fare. Undoubtedly, the circuit is much simpler and perhaps easier than the Spa-Francorchamps, meaning that the chances of another severe crash occurring are much slimmer and drivers can simply concentrate on recording the fastest possible times.