Alonso and Renault in Barcelona this Tuesday

The pace of preparations for the return of Fernando Alonso en F1 will accelerate this Tuesday on the Barcelona side. The double Spanish world champion will in fact be at the wheel of the Renault RS20 on the Catalan circuit.

Alonso, whose last Grand Prix start dates back to Abu Dhabi 2018 with McLaren, will participate in one of the two promotional shoots authorized by the team each year. If the Iberian will be able to regain his bearings aboard a car Currently, its driving will be limited to 100 km, as stipulated in the regulations.

Renault, which wishes to give track time to its future owner, could also have brought a car at least 2 years old in order to offer him more kilometers.

Alpha Tauri did so at Imola earlier this season. The Losange, however, did not choose this option. Asked about this test on Sunday evening at the Nürburgring, Cyril Abiteboul had a hard time not confirming the information and was content to kick in.

The organization of such a test at the heart of a very busy schedule in any case underlines Renault's desire to better understand its 2020 single-seater and continue the significant progress seen this year.

As for Alonso, his appetite for competition grew over the course of successful meetings at Renault, as Abiteboul observed. “He sent us a message before, during and during the race,” confided the French manager on Sunday evening.

When his return was announced, we focused the communication around 2022, but over time, Fernando is more and more interested in 2021. I have the impression of seeing a large shark attracted by the smell of blood (laughs).” A shark which will therefore have the opportunity to cut its teeth a little more this week.