Fernando Alonso’s Involvement “Very Beneficial” to Renault Ahead of Alpine Switch – Ocon

Esteban Ocon will soon get a new teammate – Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion. Although he might be feeling a bit of heat with Alonso being a teammate, the Frenchman revealed that he is looking at the Spaniard’s return as a positive for himself and Renault.

Speaking to Formula 1, Ocon expressed his views on teaming up with Alonso from the next season. “It goes without saying that having a two-time world champion getting involved is very beneficial,” he said.

Ever since Alonso signed the deal with Renault, he has looked very enthusiastic about the comeback. He has been spending quite a lot of time on the track with his team. Such runs will help Renault retrieve more data from the car apart from assisting Alonso to get back in the groove.

“It’s quite clear that Fernando is taking his return seriously. And I see that as only positive,” Ocon said.

“He’s becoming more involved recently. And he joined us at the track for part of the weekend in Imola.”

Alonso might be a bit rusty during the early part of the 2021 season. However, at one point, he is likely to show his true pace to the entire grid. If he cannot get himself going through that season, it will be a dead-end for the Spaniard and retirement could be his only answer.

Fernando Alonso is here to succeed and so am I: Ocon

Esteban Ocon clarified that the French-based outfit are not on cloud nine with Alonso’s return as Renault still have a massive task at hand at the moment. They need to beat their rivals, Mclaren and Racing Point, and finish this season in P3.

“Our focus at the moment is finishing this season off as strongly as possible before we turn our attention to next year,” Ocon said.

Ocon has struggled a lot since his return to Formula 1 this year. His struggles were quite evident as he never took his fight to his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo.

The Australian has been in an entirely different league compared to Ocon. Although the Frenchman was right on Ricciardo’s tail during qualifying sessions, the margins were huge when it came to the race pace. Lack of consistency has been the biggest concern for Ocon until now.

However, he does not seem to be expecting a similar trend through next season, as Ocon will be hoping to give his future teammate a hard time on the track. “He’s here to succeed, as I am and the team,” he said.

Could Ocon return to his old form and ultimately ignite a rivalry between himself and Fernando Alonso? Well, if it lights up, then this rivalry will definitely be a treat to watch for the fans.