Alpine has taken a gamble by bringing back Fernando Alonso after his two-year sabbatical from the sport. They were looking for a replacement for the departing Daniel Ricciardo, as he switched to McLaren for the 2021 season.

The French team is hoping the experienced driver can help guide the team through the transition from Renault to Alpine. However, former F1 driver Mark Webber believes that Alpine needs to be very careful with how they deal with Alonso.

The Spaniard is renowned around the paddock for his prickly nature, which has led to him having drastic breakdowns in his relationship with various teams. The 39-year-old expects everything to run at his desired level and will speak his mind if the standards slip below a level of his liking. Alpine will need to realize that they will have to maintain high standards during his tenure.

Fernando Alonso will want to crush Ocon according to Webber

In the podcast, On The Marbles, former F1 race winner Mark Webber spoke about how things work out with Alonso if everything is hunky-dory.

“I think you don’t have an Einstein to work out that if things implode, it will be over performance. It’s all happy days when there’s a lot of champagne flying around when Fernando’s dominating or even beating his teammate consistently.

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“Basically when the optics are that he’s the one performing for the team in terms of Constructor’s and results. Then that’s all great.”

The Australian also spoke about how there is a propensity for things to implode with Alonso in a team.

“If it’s the other way around and Ocon has his measure and the team is midpack. If it’s a genuine struggle, there could be some friction. Fernando will not accept being outperformed by Ocon, fair and square. And if that happens, it will be a challenge.”

How did the Spaniard fare in Bahrain?

The early signs suggest Alonso will outperform teammate Esteban Ocon on the track. The Spaniard was wily in qualifying and helped qualify the A521 in P9. He then built upon that by getting off to a bright start in the race. The 39-year-old was in sight of a points finish for the team on his debut, only for him to retire from the race due to brake system failure.

The Spaniard has nothing left to lose in his return to F1. He will be fancying his chances at consistently outqualifying and outperforming Ocon. Ocon has struggled with the A521, and his prospects of staying with Alpine beyond 2021 will be hanging by a thread if he fails to outperform Alonso. This teammate battle will be what makes or breaks Alpine season in 2021.

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