Alonso was pitched in to the barriers on the opening lap of the Red Bull Ring race after Kimi Raikkonen lost control of his Ferrari and swiped into him on the opening lap.

The extensive damage to Alonso's car as he hit the barriers and ended up on top of Raikkonen was a particular blow to McLaren, because the Spaniard had been running the only new update package the team had for its car.

With the team open that this week's two-day in Austria, which begins on Tuesday, is important to help it move forward, it is now pondering how best to approach things in light of the damage Alonso has sustained.

Motorsport.com has learned that although much of the new update package was destroyed in the crash, the team believes that it can get a new version of its nose cone, front wing and rear wing ready for the test – although this may not be possible until Wednesday.

There is a chance, therefore, that McLaren will swap around its plans – with test driver Stoffel Vandoorne now running on the first day and Alonso replacing him on Wednesday, which will give the team an extra 24 hours to fly out new parts.

A final decision on the matter is expected later on Monday.