Official: Alonso to return to F1 with Renault in 2021

Fernando Alonso 2008 Japanese GP

Spaniard to make shock comeback with team his secured his two world championships with

Double world champion Fernando Alonso will make a surprise return to Formula 1 with Renault next season, the French manufacturer has confirmed.

The Spaniard will return to the category after a two-year hiatus to reunite with the team he secured his two world titles with in 2004 and 2005. Seventeen of Alonso’s 32 race wins have come driving for Renault, and this will be his third stint with the team. Alonso, who turns 39 in July, will replace the McLaren-bound Daniel Ricciardo alongside Esteban Ocon.

Alonso began his F1 career with Minardi in 2001, and became Renault’s test driver the following year. He was promoted to a race seat in 2003, with the then-22-year-old taking his first win in that year’s Hungarian Grand Prix - at the time making him the sport’s youngest race winner.

The Spaniard took seven wins in 2004 to claim his first title, ending Michael Schumacher and Ferrari’s five-year run of dominance, and followed up with another seven-win season to retain the championship in 2006.

Alonso left Renault to join McLaren for 2007, but his relationship with then-team boss Ron Dennis quickly deteriorated over perceived preferential treatment to rookie team-mate Lewis Hamilton. That left to Alonso playing a role in unearthing the spy gate scandal, and he was released from his contract after a single season, leading to a return to Renault for the following year.

While Renault had fallen off the ultimate pace in 2008, Alonso managed a pair of wins - although his Singapore Grand Prix win came in controversial fashion after team-mate Nelson Piquet was ordered to crash to bring out the safety car at an opportune time.

After a winless 2009 season with Renault, Alonso left again to join Ferrari, finishing runner-up in the championship three times before his relationship with the Italian team deteriorated. He then made a shock return to McLaren, but the team struggled to be competitive and after four tough seasons he left the squad – and F1 – after 2018.

Since leaving F1, Alonso joined Toyota’s sportscar squad and won the 2018/2019 World Endurance Championship and the Le Mans 24 Hours, and has also competed in the Indianapolis 500 and Dakar Rally.

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