Fernando Alonso is with Renault indicated that they should “forget” the 2021 season, says Cyril Abiteboul. The team boss also indicates that the two-time world champion has “virtually no interest” in next year’s season. Alonso focuses entirely on the introduction of the new regulations.
After the 2018 season, Alonso put a temporary stop on his career. He did this partly because he had no competitive car for years to drive. Alonso changed his last years McLaren, which at the time drove with Honda engines. This was not a happy marriage, so Alonso decided – at least temporarily – to hang his helmet on the willows. When it was announced that the Formula would introduce new regulations in 2021, Alonso opened the door for a return to sport. Renault showed interest and although Alonso took the lead, the new regulations have been postponed to 2022, due to the corona crisis.
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Alonso will therefore return to the grid at Renault next season, but will still drive for a year with the current regulations. According to Abiteboul, the two-time world champion is fully targeting 2022 and 2021 is a bit for bacon and beans. “It’s all about 2022. He has almost no interest in 2021,” Abiteboul acknowledges The Race. “He will race with us in 2021, so you might think he has an interest in making sure we are as competitive as possible, but basically he says, ‘Look guys, forget 2021’.”
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However, according to Abiteboul, this does not mean that Renault does not want to be competitive next year. The team boss does state that everything is now set to 2022, when the new regulations come into force. “It is not that we will not show up properly, but it is all about 2022,” Abiteboul explains. With the new regulations, Renault hopes to be able to reconnect with the top.
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