Fernando Alonso's Absence Will Take the Shine off the 2015 Australian Grand Prix
So what are you most looking forward to seeing at next weekend's Australian Grand Prix?
There are no shortage of talking points ahead of the opening race of the 2015 Formula One season, with the resumption of the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, the Mercedes drivers, high on the list.
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Williams' probable leap into second place in the pecking order as well as Red Bull Racing's slight fall from grace are also points for discussion.
But the Melbourne weekend was always going to revolve around two men: Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso.
Vettel—having fled Red Bull at the end of last season to join the team he slew repeatedly to secure four consecutive world titles—will make his debut for a rejuvenated and refreshed Ferrari in Australia, taking his first step toward emulating the unprecedented success of his boyhood inspiration, Michael Schumacher, at the Prancing Horse.
The German's predecessor, meanwhile, was supposed to have made his second bow for McLaren at Albert Park after making the move that few thought would be possible following their bitter parting in 2007.
Alonso, on a salary of "around £25 million a year," according to The Telegraph's Daniel Johnson, is the poster boy of McLaren's new Honda-powered era, a project that, quite evidently, will see both team and engine partner throw countless resources in their desperation to recreate the glory days of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.
Watching Vettel roll out of the pit lane in the holy scarlet red of Ferrari, and a McLaren-Honda line up on the grid for the first time since 1992 in the hands of the finest driver on the current grid in Alonso, would have arguably been the highlight of the Australian GP weekend.
And what's more, it would have provided a clear contrast between the biggest movers of 2014 and given us an initial clue over just who made the wisest switch at the end of last year.
Yet any hope of that was crushed on Tuesday when McLaren confirmed Alonso's absence from the first race as the Spaniard continues his recovery from concussion, sustained in a crash in the second pre-season test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Although McLaren CEO Ron Dennis had previously told BBC Sport's Andrew Benson that he couldn't "foresee any reason" why his star driver would miss the Australian GP—claiming that the Spaniard was "completely fine" despite spending three nights in hospital—the benching of Alonso for the season opener is unquestionably the correct decision.
The dangers of "Second Impact Syndrome," as we alluded to last week, are simply too great—particularly at Albert Park, a street circuit that, by definition, has very limited run-off areas—for Alonso and the team to take the risk, despite Doctor Dennis' prognosis.
As disappointing as Alonso's absence will be for driver, team and Formula One itself, one man's loss is another's gain.
Kevin Magnussen, who will deputise for the Spaniard alongside Jenson Button in Australia, has a great opportunity to race under no pressure and perhaps prove why McLaren were wrong to discard him at the end of 2014.
"@alo_oficial Thanks mate ✌️ good to hear you're feeling well!
— Kevin Magnussen (@KevinMagnussen) March 3, 2015"
The Dane's demotion to a reserve-driver role for this season to make room for Alonso appeared to leave his career at a standstill at the tender age of 22.
But after a rookie season that faded as it went on—which ultimately cost Magnussen his race seat as Button's form improved dramatically as the campaign progressed—the youngster now has the chance to remind the paddock of his qualities a year on from his podium finish on debut at the Melbourne race, a result that led to parallels being drawn between Magnussen and Lewis Hamilton.
Prior to McLaren's confirmation that Alonso would miss the first race of the season, Magnussen—despite setting the team's fastest lap of the winter at last week's final pre-season test—told ESPN F1 that it would be "difficult" to stand in for the Spaniard, having spent just 39 laps behind the wheel of the MP4-30.
Magnussen's miserable forecast, however, has highlighted why Alonso's doctors may have done the two-time world champion a favour by advising him to miss the first race.
After a winter period that saw McLaren complete the least mileage of any outfit—according to the official F1 website, they recorded just 380 laps over the 12 days of pre-season, 960 fewer than reigning world champions Mercedes—there is a strong likelihood that the team will have a less-than-satisfactory start to the racing season.
And should Button and Magnussen spend the Melbourne weekend lapping several seconds off the pace and suffer more reliability problems, Alonso will stroll into the Malaysian GP paddock—the scene of one of his greatest triumphs in 2012 and his maiden McLaren win in '07—billed as the team's saviour.
Just as he was at the height of his Ferrari days, Alonso, the all-conquering gladiator, will be the beacon of hope, the embodiment of all that is good about his team.
"Our season starts now," you can almost hear him declaring in the Sepang paddock ahead of the second race of the year.
The problem for the Spaniard, however, is that he will already be 25 points behind the world championship leader by the time he drives the car in anger for the first time, with his latest title challenge effectively over before it's even begun.
That, you imagine, will be the overriding feeling as Alonso watches the action from a distance next Sunday.
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