Is Fernando Alonso Returning?

One of the most beloved drivers in Formula 1 history, Fernando Alonso, is set to come out of retirement if hints from Renault’s top-dogs are to be believed. Considering there will be a vacant spot in the Renault team next season, Alonso has apparently been picked as the driver who will come in, and possibly clench a win or two for the French team.

Alonso retired after a stint with McLaren in 2018, after a highly successful career in F1, as well as multiple other racing disciplines such as Dakar, Endurance racing, and competing in different racing championships.

Now though, it seems the former, two-time F1 champion with Renault, will be returning to the team in 2021, due to the multiple driver changes that are going to happen at the end of the current season.

Alonso’s last stint in F1 was seen by some as incredibly disappointing for a driver of Alonso’s stature and history. His McLaren was mediocre at best, with Alonso breaking down more often than he reached the Top 10.

Alonso was just driving for the love of driving, something Kimi Raikkonen is all too familiar with. A once great driver, now driving for a team that needs the help, and experience that a seasoned and successful driver like Kimi or Fernando can offer.

McLaren have found their footing though again after Alonso’s exit, the car is more reliable, and they have two great drivers behind the wheels in the form of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz.

What has triggered this move though apparently started at Ferrari, with the shock decision of Sebastian Vettel leaving the team in 2021. This triggered a merry-go-round effect, with drivers being put into new teams.

Carlos Sainz will be moving to Ferrari as it stands, with Daniel Ricciardo then moving to McLaren. Danny Ric leaving Renault means there will be a seat available next to Esteban Ocon next season.

The 39 year old may be past his absolute prime, but since he is regarded as one of the best drivers in history, making a return to the car that gave him two championships, as well as next to a young driver with a ton of talent, could be the spark to ignite his twilight years in the sport.

Alonso hasn’t been away from racing since his retirement in 2018 either, he has been competing in multiple other championships. Notably, the FIA World Endurance Championship, as well as IndyCar.

In the Endurance championship, Alonso raced for Toyota at the Le Mans 24 Hour race. In IndyCar, Alonso raced for McLaren, but he did not compete in the full series as the team had put the majority of their focus on Formula 1.

Alonso entered the 2019 Indianapolis 500 race, and not the full IndyCar Series. In early March 2019, he had a seat fitting in the No.66 Dallara IR18-Chevrolet at the McLaren Technology Centre.

One of the most beloved drivers in Formula 1 history, Fernando Alonso, is set to come out of retirement if hints from Renault’s top-dogs are to be believed. Considering there will be a vacant spot in the Renault team next season, Alonso has apparently been picked as the driver who will come in, and possibly clench a win or two for the French team.

Alonso retired after a stint with McLaren in 2018, after a highly successful career in F1, as well as multiple other racing disciplines such as Dakar, Endurance racing, and competing in different racing championships.

Now though, it seems the former, two-time F1 champion with Renault, will be returning to the team in 2021, due to the multiple driver changes that are going to happen at the end of the current season.

Alonso’s last stint in F1 was seen by some as incredibly disappointing for a driver of Alonso’s stature and history. His McLaren was mediocre at best, with Alonso breaking down more often than he reached the Top 10.

Alonso was just driving for the love of driving, something Kimi Raikkonen is all too familiar with. A once great driver, now driving for a team that needs the help, and experience that a seasoned and successful driver like Kimi or Fernando can offer.

McLaren have found their footing though again after Alonso’s exit, the car is more reliable, and they have two great drivers behind the wheels in the form of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz.

What has triggered this move though apparently started at Ferrari, with the shock decision of Sebastian Vettel leaving the team in 2021. This triggered a merry-go-round effect, with drivers being put into new teams.

Carlos Sainz will be moving to Ferrari as it stands, with Daniel Ricciardo then moving to McLaren. Danny Ric leaving Renault means there will be a seat available next to Esteban Ocon next season.

The 39 year old may be past his absolute prime, but since he is regarded as one of the best drivers in history, making a return to the car that gave him two championships, as well as next to a young driver with a ton of talent, could be the spark to ignite his twilight years in the sport.

Alonso hasn’t been away from racing since his retirement in 2018 either, he has been competing in multiple other championships. Notably, the FIA World Endurance Championship, as well as IndyCar.

In the Endurance championship, Alonso raced for Toyota at the Le Mans 24 Hour race. In IndyCar, Alonso raced for McLaren, but he did not compete in the full series as the team had put the majority of their focus on Formula 1.

Alonso entered the 2019 Indianapolis 500 race, and not the full IndyCar Series. In early March 2019, he had a seat fitting in the No.66 Dallara IR18-Chevrolet at the McLaren Technology Centre.

Alonso did not qualify, for quite bizarre reasons too. Junco Racing's Kyle Kaiser demoted Alonso to 34th, the reason being that Alonso’s car needed to be rebuilt after a crash during practice, and parts were flown in from Carlin’s factory.

The crash was apparently caused by the incorrect conversion of inches to the metric system, which caused Alonso’s car to scrape along the tarmac, this, in conjunction with incorrect gear ratios, slowed him down to the point of being unable to qualify.

In May of this year, Renault CEO Cyril Abiteboul spoke about drivers changing teams and the possibility of Fernando returning. He said that Fernando was one of many drivers they were considering to take Ricciardo’s spot, as there will be a number of world class drivers available.

He also mentioned how he doesn’t want Renault to go down the path as teams such as Ferrari and McLaren who, for their own reasons, announced their new drivers very early, Renault wants to consider every possibility and outcome before making a formal announcement.

Even though Alonso would be an incredible choice to fill the empty seat at Renault, the team is wanting to rebuild, to take Renault back to the heights it was once at when Fernando was first at the team, winning them championships.

Esteban Ocon has also voiced his praise for the Spaniard, saying that Alonso was his hero when he was younger. This combination of young talent and season professionals could be exactly what Renault need to catapult themselves back to the top.

Former Ferrari boss, Stefano Domenicali, who was also Alonso’s boss when he was at Ferrari, has heaped praise on the driver and has said that Fernando returning would not only greatly benefit Renault, but also Formula 1 as a whole.

He acknowledged the fact that there are some incredible young drivers in the ranks right now, but there are very few with the experience like Alonso has that are still part of the sport, with many moving on a while back already.

No matter how you look at it, Fernando Alonso returning to the sport has no downsides. Next season, with the driver changes, there is a very good chance that the current Mercedes and Ferrari status quo is going to be disrupted.

Fernando Alonso is definitely the type of driver who will want to return to the sport he loves so much with a bang, and won’t let an unreliable car or team stop him from potentially reaching the glory he has reached before.

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