Alonso ruled out of Australian Grand Prix

Spain's Fernando Alonso will not race in next week's season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix on doctors' advice after a heavy crash in testing, his McLaren team said on Tuesday.

"Fernando has understood and accepted that advice, and the two McLaren-Honda cars will therefore be driven in Australia by Fernando’s team-mate Jenson Button and the team’s test and reserve driver Kevin Magnussen," the team said in a statement.

Image: Fernando Alonso of Spain and Ferrari walks across a wet paddock

Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images