He and McLaren gave differing explanations for its likely cause .
One of the most surprising stories of the build - up to the season was Fernando Alonso 's absence from the first race of the year following a crash during testing .
Fernando Alonso and McLaren gave differing explanations for its likely cause .
One of the most surprising stories of the build - up to the season was Fernando Alonso 's absence from the first race of the year following a crash during testing .