Just ahead of his 39th birthday on July 29th, Fernando Alonso has been treated to a present few could resist. Renault has convinced the Spaniard to return to Formula 1 alongside Esteban Ocon next year.
“What happens to Danny boy?” Ricciardo has already signed with McLaren, which seems to be an inspired choice for the Australian driver. Lando Norris finished third on the podium, Carlos Sainz came in on fifth, and the works team got eighth place thanks to Ocon at the first race of the 2020 season. In terms of aero and chassis, there’s no denying that the Woking-based team had the edge over Renault.
Alonso left the premier series of single-seat racing at the end of 2018 after four years of struggle at McLaren with Honda power. The memes and quotes from this period are one thing, but it’s worth remembering that ‘Nando raced the wheels off that car despite the underperforming V6 engine.
However, his earlier history in Formula 1 is murkier. Remember the “Crashgate” scandal from the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix? How about the Lewis Hamilton being blocked by Fernando in the pit in Hungary one year earlier? Speaking of 2007, the “Spygate” scandal has also muddied Alonso’s reputation after the Spaniard threatened Ron Dennis with incriminating evidence.
Despite these controversial moments, “Renault is my family” according to ‘Nando. “It’s a great source of pride and with an immense emotion I’m returning to the team.” Alonso doesn’t expect to win right off the bat, though, but looks forward to the new regulations for the 2022 Formula 1 season.
“I will share all my racing experience with everyone from the engineers to the mechanics and my team-mates. The team wants and has the means to get back on the podium, as do I,” said the seasoned Spaniard.
On an ending note, the rumors according to which Sebastian Vettel would sign with Renault have gone up in smoke. If Racing Point – a.k.a. Aston Martin – or Mercedes-AMG don’t sign him, the German driver may take a sabbatical or retire altogether with four titles under his belt.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News