Fernando Alonso Reminisces Renault F1 Days as Alpine Test Draws Near

Fernando Alonso is all set to enter his 19th F1 season with the Alpine team alongside Esteban Ocon. Alonso made his debut back in the 2001 Australian GP. After a below-par debut season, he couldn’t secure a seat in 2002. However, he came back stronger than ever the next year, this time with the Renault F1 team, the predecessor of Alpine.

After being parked at the bench in 2002, he served as a test driver for Renault that year, while driver duo of Jarno Trulli and Jenson Button took Renault B202 into the races. In a throwback moment, the Spaniard recently posted a 2002 picture where he was testing the Renault chassis in Barcelona, reminiscent of what he will do pretty soon with the team at the same track.

In the picture, Alonso is testing the 14 number chassis in January 2002, which still looked to be in primitive stages. As per archives, Alonso took the wheel of Trulli’s 04 number Renault in March, during the 5-day pre-season testing. He completed a shake-down involving electronic and systems work. The Spaniard shared a picture on his Instagram with a simple caption, “11-01-2002. Barcelona test. #renault #f1”.

Fernando Alonso shares his training insights ahead of the 2022 season

The Spaniard will enter the 2022 grid as the most experienced pilot of all, and he certainly uses his age to his advantage. Alonso is working hard at this age to match up to the requirements of the sport. When he decided to make a comeback after retiring in 2018, this was one aspect he must have kept in mind. He looked extremely fit in 2021, putting up some exceptional performances. He also earned a podium finish in Qatar, the 98th of his career so far.

As the season approaches, he will take the wheel of the 2022 Alpine machine for a pre-season test in Barcelona next week. Recently, he also shared some training insights through his Instagram handle, and he looks all set for the upcoming challenge.

Alonso shared this picture with a caption saying, “Almost ready. One more week to start the 2022 winter testing 🏎. Preseason number 20 in f1 🤝. @alpinef1team”

The Alpine team have introduced a series of changes in the upper management recently. The team is in a rebuilding phase and 2022 comes with great opportunities and a major overhaul in the regulations. Tell us your Alpine predictions in the comments below.

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