Esteban Ocon Warned of Stoffel Vandoorne’s Fate at Renault With Fernando Alonso’s Return

Sep 30, 2020 | 7:18 AM EDT

Esteban Ocon Warned of Stoffel Vandoorne’s Fate at Renault With Fernando Alonso’s Return

Sep 30, 2020 | 7:18 AM EDT

Fernando Alonso will make a re-entry into Formula 1 with Renault for the 2021 season. He will be lining up alongside the Frenchman, Esteban Ocon. Jolyon Palmer, a former Renault driver himself, feels that Ocon will need to raise his game before the 2021 season if he wishes to avoid ending up like Stoffel Vandoorne.

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Palmer is convinced that despite staying off of Formula 1 for over two years, he could still give a good fight to Ocon. “Fernando Alonso is returning in to fill Ricciardo’s shoes in 2021,” said Palmer.

“And with the Spaniard’s recent visit to the team’s factories and insistence on being closely in the loop through the remainder of this year as well, it seems he could be at least as stiff competition for Ocon.

“If Alonso comes back at somewhere near the level he left F1 a couple of years ago, then Ocon will need to raise his game in the remaining race and through the winter to not be left behind.”

Palmer warns Ocon of the consequences he might face if he underperforms in next season. “He only has to look at the podium interviewer last weekend to see the risks,” Palmer said.

“Stoffel Vandoorne was the man with the microphone. He was dropped from F1 after a tough season in 2018 against Alonso. Ocon has had promising moments but is yet to look fully on top of things in 2020,” Palmer said.

Esteban Ocon is yet to showcase his true pace since his comeback into Formula 1. He struggled to keep up with his teammate Daniel Ricciardo over most parts of this season.

Fernando Alonso Looking Forward to Racing With Renault

During Alonso’s recent visit to the Renault Factory, he revealed that he looking forward to racing with the team.

“I think the team is in good shape for the future,” Alonso said. “The last few races were encouraging for everyone, for myself too. To see Renault back in a competitive manner is a good thing for the sport, and I’ve been delighted to see the improvements.”

Alonso secured both his world championship titles with Renault back in 2005 and 2006, and he’ll be looking to build on it come 2021.

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Rohit Kumar

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Rohit Kumar is an F1 author at EssentiallySports. He has been an ardent follower of the racing series since 2007, with his love for the sport coinciding with his love for Kimi Raikkonen. He is also an ardent follower of Sebastian Vettel and Aston Martin Racing. With his favorite track being Hockenheim and his favorite turn being Eau Rouge (Spa, Belgium), Rohit is a strong advocate for bringing back the pre-turbo-hybrid era V10 engines and their screams. Apart from being an author, Rohit is also a trained tennis player, having qualified for national tournaments. He has been a part of the Estilio Academy for over a decade.

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