Renault CEO asks just one thing of Alonso: 'Help us become a top team'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Fernando Alonso made his return to Formula 1 this year to help shape the metamorphosis from Renault to Alpine. Because Daniel Ricciardo saw more potential in an adventure at McLaren, a spot became available and according to Renault-CEO Luca de Meo it was a no-brainer who could best fill up that spot.
Experienced rock
In an interview with Top Gear, De Meo reveals why Alonso is the perfect match for Alpine's new team: "The feedback I got [from the Bahrain test] was that it took him about 10 laps to reach the limit of the car and say, 'this or that doesn't work'. He gets it right away. Our focus is to give him a car he can have some fun with. And then you never know what will happen in a Grand Prix, right?"
The Renault CEO does not want to anticipate Alpine's chances too much: "I am not a magician, I do not have a crystal ball. My expectation is that we will get better and better every race. The real challenge starts in 2022, which is not to say we want to have a bad season in 2021."
The Godfather
So this has to happen at the hand of Fernando Alonso. De Meo: "Renault is Fernando's home, but I want him to use his experience to help us all grow. He has a different role than 15 years ago. He is the Godfather of everybody. All I ask of him is to help us become a top team, because it's about attitude and mentality. And he has that."