We all thought that it would happen, but we didn’t quite expect it to happen all so suddenly. But the inevitable news report had arrived, freshly brewed from the Renault front office. Ladies and gentlemen get ready to welcome back, Fernando Alonso to the F1 fold!
The 2-times world champion has been confirmed by Renault as their new driver for 2021. He comes in as a replacement for the McLaren bound Daniel Ricciardo.
The Spaniard will once again be seen behind the wheel of a Renault, with whom he has seen his best years in F1, including winning his two championship crowns.
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F1 legend Fernando Alonso set to re-unite with Renault in 2021
The news was officially announced today, after months of speculation and rumors. The French team conveyed the news to the fans, via their social media accounts.
The Twitter post by Renault reads, “Fernando Alonso joins Renault DP World F1 Team. Renault DP World F1 Team is pleased to confirm Fernando Alonso alongside Esteban Ocon in its driver line-up for the 2021 season.”
A short video clip showing Alonso celebrating his title win was also added.
OFFICIAL NEWS
🏁 Fernando Alonso joins Renault DP World F1 Team 🏁
Renault DP World F1 Team is pleased to confirm Fernando Alonso alongside Esteban Ocon in its driver line-up for the 2021 season.👉 https://t.co/yjnnGHh8Yb #RSspirit @alo_oficial @OconEsteban pic.twitter.com/Qe0WfBazzN
— Renault F1 Team (@RenaultF1Team) July 8, 2020
The Spaniard last raced in an F1 machine with McLaren in 2018. Since then, Alonso has kept himself active in the motorsport world by participating in the FIA Endurance Championship.
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Alonso has already seen a great deal of success in Endurance racing. He has won 5 of the 8 races he has taken part in, including two wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He has also competed in the Indy500 during that period of time.
However, he still remains dedicated to winning the Triple Crown in Motorsport and will be gearing up of his 3rd shot at the Indy500 this year.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, there is still a whole season of racing to go before the return of the F1 legend. In the meantime, Renault would want to show Alonso that his decision to return was the right one.
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They didn’t get off to the best of starts in the season opener. However, over the course of the weekend, there were clear signs of improvement from last season.