F1: Alonso set for surgery to remove titanium plates from jaw

The double world champion fractured his jaw in a collision with a car while cycling on a road near his home in Switzerland in February.

FILE PHOTO: The 40-year-old will be the most experienced driver on the grid in 2022 after Kimi Raikkonen's retirement.

Alpine's Fernando Alonso said he will undergo surgery in January to remove titanium plates from his jaw which were fitted after a road accident earlier this year.

The double world champion fractured his jaw in a collision with a car while cycling on a road near his home in Switzerland in February.

"This January I will have to remove the plates from (my) face so I will have two weeks off," Alonso told F1's website.

"After that we need to go into winter testing with a good programme, physically and also in the car. I need to be prepared or to get ready a little bit better than last year. The accident in February with the bicycle didn't help."

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The 40-year-old will be the most experienced driver on the grid in 2022 after Kimi Raikkonen's retirement.

"Physically, I think the cars of today are not very demanding. I think in 2004, '05, maybe the age was a limitation," Alonso said.

"I can do 300 laps with these cars, so there is not a problem physically I'm super strong, I'm ready, I can start the season next week in Bahrain."

Alonso had one podium finish in the recently-concluded season, finishing third in Qatar and ending 10th in the drivers' standings.