Fernando Alonso is set to make his first run in Formula 1 since his return to Renault Formula 1 team when he will be testin in Barcelona on Tuesday.
The former Formula one champion will be driving the current Renault R.S in the test that will be classified as a promotional filming day, and 100 Kilometres of driving will be allowed. The team has however not officialy announced the test. Cyril Abiteboul, the team principal was asked on the matter after the Eifel Grand Prix and he said that he couldn’t confirm or deny the test on Alonso was happening.
A spokesperson for the Barcelona circuit had confirmed that on Tuesday they will have activity on their track and that their client was confidential. It’s not known whether the team will also take an older 2018 car, which will not be subject to any mileage restrictions, following the strategy used by AlphaTauri at Imola earlier this year.
Renault has such a car ready to go, as it ran Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon in a two-day test in Austria before the start of the season. Although he wouldn’t confirm the test, Abiteboul said that Alonso has been following the progress of the team closely, and sent messages during the Nurburgring weekend, suggesting it was a sign of the Spaniard’s commitment to the project.
Alonso has been getting up to speed in recent weeks by spending time at the Renault factory in Enstone, working with the engineers.
“We received a message before, during and after the race,” said Abiteboul. “You would be impressed to measure his level of interest. And I think that when he initially joined the team, and in his communication when we announced him, it was very much about 2022.
“And the more the season is going and with the team’s progression, the car progression, the more he starts to be interested in 2021. I think Fernando is like a big shark. And as soon as he starts to feel the blood he wants to attack. That’s what I see – I see a shark very hungry.”
