Column: Renault and Alonso are suddenly very concerned about transition year 2021

The return of Alonso

The joy of the staff was enormous when Renault's hero, Fernando Alonso, was announced as Ricciardo's replacement. Alonso managed to lead Renault to their two world titles in history in 2005 and 2006 and is now again looking for another world title.

With all the restrictions on testing, however, it is now a lot more difficult for drivers to return to Formula 1. You can practice in the simulator, but real racing must be done in an older car. Faced with that fact, Alonso said he did not need any tests, as he drove in several other classes and had certainly not been idle.

Is Alonso getting too hot underfoot?

In recent months, Alonso may have become a little too hot underfoot. Where the situation as a saviour seemed ideal at first, it is the departing Ricciardo who steals the show at Renault with two podiums. Also, Esteban Ocon is being bullied and so the bar is set very high for Alonso.

The Spaniard may not have expected that and that is why he has already tested in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi with the Renault R.S. 18 from 2018. Renault are also doing everything they can to get Alonso into the test after the season so that he can get into the current F1 car before the Formula 1 season starts.

Where Alonso did not need a test before, he now complains about the fact that so little can be tested. How sure is Alonso still of his case? Now that the bar has been set so high by Ricciardo, he can hardly surprise or overshoot. After a two-year absence that would be difficult at all, but with Ricciardo as predecessor it now seems completely impossible.

How do Renault look back on this decision?

However, you may also wonder how Renault looks back on this decision? Ricciardo will in all likelihood be kept out of the discussions for the 2021 car as much as possible, but Ricciardo says he is helping to propel the car forward. "Then I have to make sure I can beat that car again with McLaren," Ricciardo said earlier.

Where Renault might have hoped for continuity from Ocon, it is quite disappointing. He is totally unable to cope with Ricciardo and must above all find his own form. Renault can therefore not use Ocon as a gauge to assess the car of 2021. It is therefore not surprising that Renault want to do everything they can to get Alonso in that car.

Despite his years in F1, Alonso has a lot of experience and can perhaps best judge how the 2021 car feels compared to the 2020 car. As long as he is not allowed to drive the 2020 car, he can never determine whether the team are working in the right direction and whether the updates are working.

So the problem may seem twofold. On the one hand, the bar for Alonso as a driver is very high and he can use all the test kilometres he is allowed to do in order not to be in the shadow of Ricciardo's performance next year. On the other hand, there will also be concerns at Renault, which really need a benchmark to determine whether the right developments are going on at the factory. If Alonso wants to compete for the title with Renault in 2022, then no mistakes can be made at the factory. Renault will do everything it can to have Alonso tested in Abu Dhabi, but the question is whether that will succeed.

This article was originally published on the Dutch version of GPBlog.com. It was written by Tim Kraaij.