F1: Briatore – “Alonso is ready to return”

Former Renault boss and close friend of Fernando Alonso, Flavio Briatore, believes Fernando Alonso is ready to return to Formula 1.

Alonso left the sport at the end of 2018 and is now being linked to the Renault seat for 2021 after Daniel Ricciardo signed up for McLaren for next season.

Briatore said: “Fernando is motivated. A year without F1 has done him good, he has detoxified, I see him more serene and he is ready to return.

“We are watching what is happening and we will see how things evolve.”

However, the uncertainty of Renault remaining in the sport post-2020 could stop the return of Alonso.

The current coronavirus pandemic has increased anxiety that Renault will leave the sport either after this season or next year. But, current Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul is optimistic about Renault’s future in F1: “The Renault management has a lot of work now with the crisis.

“They understand the situation we are in. They are attentive to all the conversations. I know it has been a long time since this, but we have received a lot of positive news during the winter.”

If Renault want to get back to the top they will need a top driver. Esteban Ocon looks set to stay with them for a few years but he is still relatively inexperienced.

With Ricciardo departing, Renault want a megastar hence why Alonso and Sebastian Vettel are being linked to the seat.

Briatore said he was a little surprised at Ferrari’s decision to replace Vettel: “In F1 it has always been the winning formula to have a driver who aspires to the title and another who adds points, who take points away from your rivals.

“Vettel paid for the fact that a very fast guy came to the team. He and the team were surprised, as was the case with McLaren with Hamilton in 2007. And two drivers of the same level in the team risk taking points from each other.”