Fernando Alonso has described his first outing in a Formula One car for Renault since leaving the sport two years ago as a new beginning. The double world champion will return to F1 next season with the French marque and successfully tested their 2020 car for the first time at Barcelona on Tuesday.
Alonso stepped back from the sport at the end of 2018 after three difficult years in an underperforming McLaren. He won both his titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006 and will join the team, to be rebranded as Alpine (Renault’s sportscar brand), next season. The Spaniard will replace Daniel Ricciardo, who is moving to McLaren, and will partner Esteban Ocon.
Alonso had stated he would only return to F1 in a competitive car and has his sights set on the major regulation changes in 2022, when there is expectation Renault will be able to challenge Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari. He was clearly invigorated by making the first step towards driving competitively again. “It’s going to be an amazing feeling, after two years not driving an F1,” he said before the test. “I’m really looking forward. I think it’s going to be like a new beginning.”
The 39-year-old drove for 100km, the limit in what was designated a promotional and filming day for the team. “It felt amazing to be able to drive these cars after two years and feel the speed again,” he said afterwards. “How everything comes so fast, corner after corner, the performance under braking and all the things a Formula One car has to offer. To feel it once again felt nice.
“The car was outperforming me at the moment because I cannot extract the maximum because getting back to F1 speed is not so easy but I was improving lap after lap. It was high pressure, hard work, the car has potential but there is room to improve.”
Alonso undertook his first proper F1 test 20 years ago for Benetton in 2000, the team based at Enstone that would evolve into the Renault team of today.
On Sunday Renault took their first podium since 2011 with Ricciardo third at the Eifel Grand Prix and have been enjoying a steady improvement all season. Alonso has driven competitively only twice this year, in the Dakar rally and for McLaren at the Indy 500 but the team principal, Cyril Abiteboul, has declared he had no doubts about his new driver’s eagerness to return to the fray.
“I think Fernando is like a big shark,” he said. “As soon as he starts to feel the blood he wants to attack. That’s what I see, I see a shark very hungry.”