McLaren driver Fernando Alonso, who fractured ribs in the Formula One season's first race, has been given provisional clearance to race in Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix, the governing International Automobile Federation said Thursday. The FIA said in a statement after the Spaniard had a medical at the Shanghai track that he would have a further examination immediately after Friday's first free practice session "to determine his further eligibility." Alonso was forced to sit out the last race in Bahrain on doctors' orders after he failed a medical following an horrific accident in the Australian Grand Prix that left him with fractured ribs. The double world champion was replaced by Belgian reserve Stoffel Vandoorne in Bahrain. Alonso told reporters in Shanghai he felt ready but would accept whatever decision the doctors made. "The first one I want to be 100 percent is me because it's my safety. I feel 100 percent, I guess they will feel that I'm 100 percent," he said. "The normal thing will be to check after the first session that I feel okay because Formula One is a very unique sport. After the first couple of laps I will also feel if it's okay from my side and if it's okay from their side." Hamilton hit with 5-place grid penalty Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton will be hit with a five-place grid penalty for the Grand Prix due to a gearbox change, his Mercedes team confirmed Thursday. "This weekend is going to be tough," Hamilton said on photo sharing site Instagram alongside a picture of fans welcoming him at the Shanghai airport. "I will start with a five-place grid penalty due to a gearbox change but because of you guys I feel energized, motivated, and confident that we can regain ground lost." The news was later confirmed by his Mercedes team, which said Twitter it had thought Shanghai was the best place to take the penalty after the gear box was damaged in Bahrain and needed to be changed. A driver must use a single gearbox for six consecutive events and the penalty means the highest Hamilton can start Sunday's race is from sixth on the grid. That puts Hamilton on the back foot heading into a race in which he hopes to score his first win of the season and end teammate Nico Rosberg's run of five-successive victories. Hamilton trails Rosberg, winner of the opening two races of the season, by 17 points in the standings. He last won at the US Grand Prix in October, when he also clinched his third world championship. "It is going to be an easier weekend for Nico for sure," added the Briton. "But it doesn't mean I can't give him a good run for his money from wherever I start, so I'm going to be pushing as hard as I can."
