Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he is "pleased" to see Fernando Alonso back racing following his recent crash in pre-season testing.
The Spaniard was forced to sit out the season-opening Australia Grand Prix due to concussion sustained during the accident in Barcelona, although he has been given the thumbs up to compete this weekend in Malaysia.
A number of high-profile smashes have rumbled the sport in recent times, including Jules Bianchi's last year which left him in intensive care, and Hamilton believes that it adds some much-needed perspective to events both on and off the track.
"I'm pleased to see that Fernando Alonso is back racing this weekend and that he is well again after the accident in pre-season testing that forced him to miss the first race of the year," he wrote in his BBC Sport column. "An accident such as Fernando's reminds you that F1 remains a dangerous sport.
"But there is a never a moment when I get in the car when I think something like that could not potentially happen. Of course no-one wants to get injured, and we are all still very sad about Jules Bianchi's accident last year in Japan. With Fernando, I think it's still unclear exactly what happened to him and I will be interested to hear what the FIA, F1's governing body, says about it.
"It's great for F1 that he is back out on track, but it is going to be a hard year for him. He left Ferrari, who had been very loyal to him for a long time, on what I don't think was a particularly good note, and that team are looking pretty awesome this year. I would much rather he was at the front racing with me. You want to be competing against the best of the best, and he is certainly that."
Hamilton kicked off the Formula 1 season in style by claiming victory in Melbourne a fortnight ago.
Daniel Lewis
