Fernando Alonso's manager Flavio Briatore says the testing crash in which the Spaniard suffered concussion was "very strange".

Briatore told Italian television that doctors had found the McLaren driver had no health problems other than the injury sustained in the accident.

Briatore said he had seen video of the accident, which was "not even that dramatic. The impact was not so hard.

"He crashes without any reason," he added.

"We have to see if there was a steering problem."

McLaren have said that they have found no evidence that the car suffered any kind of mechanical failure to cause the crash at Turn Three of Spain's Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 22 February, or that there was any irregularity in the energy recovery system.

Briatore described the decision by doctors to advise Alonso to miss the first race in Australia this weekend to avoid the risk of a potentially dangerous second concussion before the first is healed as "logical".

In the interview, with Sky Italia, Briatore said:

All medical tests on Alonso for health problems were negative

Reports that he had woken up from the crash thinking he was a 14-year-old kart racer were incorrect

McLaren had given Alonso no information about whether the car had a steering problem

McLaren's communications on the accident were "not brilliant"

Alonso is "confident" about the quality of the McLaren car, despite major reliability problems during pre-season testing.

On whether Alonso has health problems

Briatore, the former boss of the Renault team, said Alonso had stayed in hospital for three days after the crash because doctors wanted to be sure there was nothing wrong with him.

"If Fernando had had a problem, a heart problem, a small stroke, a blood clot; it can happen even to a great sportsman," Briatore said.
"And we have seen that absolutely all the examinations and tests made on the driver were negative."

On media speculation about Alonso

Briatore, who has not been involved directly in F1 since being found guilty of involvement in Renault's attempt to fix the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, said: "People said a lot of stuff; that he woke up and said: 'I'm young and I race in karts.' That is nonsense.

"[Spanish newspaper] El Pais wrote it and everyone else wrote about it because it was almost funny. There was a time when he lost some memory, but it lasted two or three days.

"If Fernando had had problems, the doctors would have discovered them. If he had passed out briefly, they would have seen. We did hours of tests with the leading specialists in Europe."

On the crash

"I saw footage, which Bernie Ecclestone sent me, where we see that the impact is not so hard. (Ferrari's Sebastian) Vettel is behind, he passes, and you see Fernando crashes without any apparent reason.

"We have to see if there is a steering problem. We have not had any information on that from McLaren.

"The accident, if you see it, you do not say: 'Mamma mia, what a crash.' It is the sort of accident you see all the time.

"The angle in which the car hit the wall could have been bad for Fernando. The impact was hard."

On speculation that Alonso suffered an electric shock

"The FIA [Formula 1's governing body] is investigating the accident. I hope not, but if there was an electrical problem they must say because it could happen to other drivers. We have to know what has happened for everybody's peace of mind.

"But you all know that there is a cut-off (in the electrical safety system); it was closed for Fernando."

Could the incident damage Alonso's McLaren relationship?

"Fernando is very confident. He says that when the car was working, it was good.

"If you remember, McLaren is not so strong at the beginning of the year. When we were fighting them for the world title, I always said: 'Guys, they have an amazing capacity to develop mid-season'.

"Honda will bring all human and financial resources to ensure that the engine is competitive. And surely the McLaren chassis will be competitive."