Spaniard Fernando Alonso – widely regarded as one of the best drivers of the modern era – is set to return to F1 in 2021, taking the vacant seat Daniel Ricciardo is leaving at Renault.
According to the BBC, sources say Alonso has already signed with the French team and will confirm his return later this month. After leaving the sport in 2018 because there “was nothing left to achieve”, Alonso has been quoted as wanting to come back to F1 because “no other motorsport comes close to the level of satisfaction possible at its pinnacle.”
Unless Renault drastically improve their car over the course of 2020, it’s unlikely the 39-year-old Alonso will be winning the WDC in 2021 due to a COVID-19 induced development pause; but significant rule changes and budget caps slated for 2022 mean we may well see the Alonso F1 return fans could only dream of.
