Carlos Sainz for Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari, Daniel Ricciardo for Carlos Sainz at McLaren – the next logical question must be: Who will drive the second yellow Renault works racing car next to Esteban Ocon from 2021? Is team boss Cyril Abiteboul planning a terrific coup to save the Grand Prix program, and is he getting a superstar like Fernando Alonso or Sebastian Vettel? Many Formula 1 fans would like that, as a look at various fan forums shows.
The starting position is less than exhilarating: Renault missed the season goal in 2019 and only finished fifth in the World Championship. At the same time, the chassis plant in Enstone (England) and the Viry-Châtillon engine plant were expanded for a great deal of money.
Even before Corona, the Renault group had slipped into the red, for the first time in ten years: a loss of 141 million euros, as Renault confirmed in mid-February. Interim boss Clotilde Delbos spoke of job cuts and that everything should be put to the test, including involvement in Formula 1.
Team principal Cyril Abiteboul remains confident: “If we receive a fairer distribution of prize money, then our work will make sense from a technical and financial perspective as well as from a marketing perspective. We have been in Formula 1 racing for 42 years now, and Renault as a brand has benefited from it. »
Does Abiteboul want to convince the boss floor with the engagement of a superstar like Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso? From a marketing perspective, the commitment of a multiple world champion would be a headline guarantee worldwide. Nothing against Nico Hülkenberg, Carlos Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo or Esteban Ocon, all great racers – but Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel play in a different league in terms of PR value.
Fan forums show that the fans want Fernando Alonso to return, and most GP fans are convinced that Sebastian Vettel is by no means old at 32.
Renault would be a return for both multiple champions: Alonso grew up at the Enstone racing team, carefully managed by Flavio Briatore, and in 2005 and 2006 he became world champion with Renault. Sebastian Vettel has conquered all of his 2010–2013 world titles in Red Bull Racing racers in which Renault engines were.
Former Formula 1 driver Marc Surer said: «For me Alonso is one of those drivers, you can put them in any car, and they are immediately on speed. But I do not believe in a return because Fernando would have to have a car with which he can ride in the front. »
Alonso himself said: «I have always said that a Formula 1 return is possible when the new racing cars arrive. These cars favor better sport, and I would like to drive such racers to compete with my opponents. Delaying the new generation of models by a year to 2021 is understandable from an economic perspective, but regrettable from a sporting point of view. »
That didn’t sound like a comeback. But a lot has happened on the driver market since then. Just a coincidence that Renault has recently released new wallpapers for computers and cell phones that show Fernando Alonso of all things?
There is a lot to be said against Alonso or Vettel at Renault. Fernando is 38 years old and will hardly go for victories with Renault. Why should he do this to himself? Alonso will not compete for a sandwich. In his statement on the separation from Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel formulated words that smell like resignation. If he doesn’t want to drive a Ferrari for around ten million euros, why should he do it for Renault? And also for Seb – where is the motivation to fight for midfields with Renault?
Cyril Abiteboul in mid-March on the subject of Vettel: «I don’t say no to Vettel because he is a great champion. But I strive to work with tomorrow’s drivers rather than yesterday’s drivers. Please don’t interpret it for me now that Vettel is a driver from yesterday. Rather, I’m saying this because we have our own driver academy with pilots who could be GP-ready in 2021 or 2022. »
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