WATCH: Fernando Alonso Fires Warning to Ferrari and McLaren After Bahrain GP Qualifying

Fernando Alonso will make his return to F1 after a hiatus of two years when he will turn out for Alpine for the 2021 season. Alonso has been very impressive within the team since his return. He marked his impressive comeback by guiding the A521 to Q3 and placing the car in P9 on the starting grid for Sunday’s race. The Spaniard is very optimistic about his chances of getting the car off to a great start at the beginning of the main race.

The 39-year-old, during his time away from F1, sampled other motorsports series like IndyCar, Le Mans, etc. He would be looking to put the curtains on his F1 career in a better fashion after the troubles he faced when he returned to McLaren. He will be hoping he enjoys a much happier return with Alpine in the 2021 season.

Fernando Alonso gives optimistic team radio on team’s chances in the main race

In a radio exchange with his race engineer, Fernando Alonso was informed of his starting position on the grid for Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix by the engineer. The engineer said, “OK mate, nice job today. That’s P9, P9.”

Alonso replied that he has pushed the car to maximum, and asked how far behind the guy in front of him is he. He said, “Copy. Yeah, I think that was the maximum, maybe. One-tenth, one-tenth, and a half. How far is the guy in front?”

The engineer informed him of the margin and said, “Three hundredths. Three hundredths to Sainz in P8, and then Norris did it 29.97.”

The Spaniard finished the conversation on an uplifting note and said, “OK copy. We pass them at the start tomorrow.”

Can the Spaniard mark his return with a great showing in Bahrain?

Alonso was able to guide the A521 to the third qualifying session on Saturday, which was a testament to his inherent greatness. This has to be contrasted with the fortunes of his teammate. Even though the circumstances in which Esteban Ocon missed out on Q2 were unlucky, he struggled to come to terms with the car.

Alonso’s performance in the car will further put the spotlight on Ocon. This could put the Frenchman on the hot seat as the season draws on. The battle between Alonso and Ocon could be one of the underrated aspects to watch out for in 2021.

Old-school F1 fans will be hoping that sly old dog starts the 2021 season brilliantly.