It has been ‘all systems go’ in the last few weeks, for veteran driver Fernando Alonso. After nearly a gap of two years from F1, Renault announced the return of their Spanish driver, who won them two Championships in 2005 and 2006.

Now, ahead of the 2021 season, Alonso has made factory trip visits to Renault’s UK and France sites. The idea is for him to get to speed with the workings of the team. In addition, the meetings revolve around plans and approaches for next year.

Fernando Alonso is ‘hugely motivated’ for 2021

Speaking in an interview to Renault’s official website, Alonso said, “Being back at Enstone was a very good experience, they were very emotional days. A lot of things have changed. The simulator is new, the wind tunnel has been updated, but a few things are the same.”

“I’ve followed a programme in the simulator, getting used to the car a little, testing the facilities – last time I was here the simulator didn’t exist! Then I had a seat fit and meetings with key people to understand the programme for next year. It was really just getting up to speed”

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Fernando Alonso completed an entire tour of the factory in Enstone, trying the driver simulator system. Although he had been racing in IndyCar Series for 2019 and 2020, F1 is a whole different ball game and the double world champion will have his work cut out.

Renault slowly but steadily getting more competitive

It has been a decent season for Renault so far when one looks at the big picture. There have been instances of technical struggles, while sometimes it came down to drivers’ mistakes. Factor into that, their unhappiness with the whole Racing Point dispute resolution.

Despite all these issues, the French manufacturer’s team sits fifth in the Constructors’ Standings. With promising things coming their way, Alonso admits that the path ahead looks bright for Renault.

He stated, “I think the team is in good shape for the future. 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.”

Renault has reason to be upbeat for a good weekend in Russia. Daniel Ricciardo drove a strong race and finished in P4 last time around. Meanwhile, Esteban Ocon will want to put behind the technical problems that caused him to retire. Once again, Renault will want to qualify in the top half of the grid and ensure points finishes – thus achieving their primary objective.