Fernando Alonso Suffers Horror Crash at Australian F1 Grand Prix 2016

Fernando Alonso endured a scary beginning to the 2016 Formula One season, as he was involved in a spectacular crash at the Australian Grand Prix.

The McLaren man ran into the back of Haas driver Esteban Gutierrez as he was attempting an overtaking manoeuvre, prompting his vehicle to vault up into the air, spin and career off track.

Here is a look at the incident:

The crash meant the race, eventually won by Mercedes man Nico Rosberg, was temporarily suspended and, remarkably, the double world champion was able to walk away from the accident.

One spectator at Albert Park in Melbourne caught the footage on camera, offering a raw insight into the accident:

Not long after the smash, the McLaren team took to Twitter to confirm Alonso was fine following a medical check-up:

Afterwards, the Spaniard paid tribute to the safety systems in place that prevented any serious injury. “I feel good," said Alonso, per Lawrence Barretto of Autosport. "Obviously I'm trying to put everything in place again in my body. It was a big, big crash…I’m thankful for the safety of those cars and that I'm alive talking to you. This is the most important thing.”

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Following the crash, Alonso also absolved Gutierrez of any blame. "We were racing, I moved at the last moment and you don't have the full vision of the track. You try to defend but you don't know what the other guy is doing," he said, per Pete Gill of Sky Sports.

It was confirmed on the official Formula One website that "the stewards also concurred with that assessment, declaring—after examining video evidence and speaking to both men—that 'no driver was wholly or predominantly to blame'."

Alonso missed this race in 2015 after he sustained a head injury following a crash during pre-season testing in Barcelona.