The news has been in the air for several weeks, it is now official. Fernando Alonso will return to Renault next year, in the team that made him an F1 star, with two titles of world champions in 2005 and 2006. The Spanish star, absent from the circuits for two years , will thus make its comeback in the queen category. The duration of his engagement was not specified by Renault, however.
Very media reunion
His inglorious withdrawal in late 2018 from the top category of motorsport after a series of disastrous campaigns at McLaren did not taste like an epilogue. The 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Dakar, the 500 Miles of Indianapolis, the Iberian displayed his still keen love for motor racing and his desire to return to F1.
But still he had to find a steering wheel. Placed by rumor at Red Bull then at Ferrari, it will finally be welcomed by Renault next year for a very media reunion.
An experienced pilot with Frenchman Esteban Ocon
With the Australian Daniel Ricciardo leaving for McLaren, the diamond team was looking for an experienced driver to support the young French hope Esteban Ocon. For the native of Oviedo, Renault certainly does not offer as many chances of immediate success as Mercedes, Red Bull or Ferrari, but the manufacturer announced in May that he would stay in F1 in the long term with the aim of returning to the highest step of the podium.
"Renault is my family, these are my best memories in Formula 1 with my two world champion titles, but I'm looking forward," said Alonso. With 17 victories between 2003 and 2008 and the titles of world champion in 2005 and 2006, the one we nicknamed the Bull of Asturias knows that the French brand is capable of it, especially with a new financial regulation for F1 in 2021, which could level the gaps.