Formula One: Fernando Alonso Officially Confirmed To Return With Renault Next Season

Former McLaren driver Fernando Alonso has been confirmed to return to the grid next season and will be returning as Renault team driver. 

The Spaniard retired from racing two years ago and will be returning to fill the seat that will be left off by Daniel Ricciardo who will be leaving the team to join McLaren next season. 

Confirming the signing of the two-time F1 world champion, the team principal and managing director Cyril Abiteboul described his return to the team as a "formidable assets" and the kind of driver he is made of is such that the team is in the need of to move to the next level in the sport. 

"His experience and determination will enable us to get the best out of each other to take the team towards the excellence that modern F1 demands," Abiteboul added. "He will also bring to our team, which has grown fast, a culture of racing and winning."

The 39-year-old holds the record set for the F1 youngest world champion, a title which he won with Renault in 2005, and in the following season, he defended the title to set another record for the youngest driver to be a two-time champion in two successive seasons. 

"It's an extremely happy day for me coming back to F1 first but also to the team with which I had the best experience in the category," said the two-time champion. 

However, he needed his team to understand that though they covet competition favorably with their rivals, that might not happen on his return neither do they stand a chance this season. 

He explained, "I think the 2022 rules will hopefully bring some fairness to the sport and some close action with teams more level and less scope to invent something that has a large performance advantage."