Esteban Ocon says having Fernando Alonso already involved with the Renault DP World F1 Team ahead of his 2021 return to Formula 1 is beneficial, but the focus for the team remains on closing out the 2020 season in the best possible way.
Alonso will make his return to the sport after two years away next season as Ocon’s team-mate at Renault as current team-mate Daniel Ricciardo moves across to the McLaren F1 Team. It will be the thirty-nine-year-old’s third time at Renault having raced for them between 2003 and 2006 and then again in 2008 and 2009.
The Spaniard joined the team during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and for Ocon, it is pleasing to see the two-time Formula 1 World Champion taking his return seriously, even though his and the teams’ focus remains in beating the BWT Racing Point Formula One Team and McLaren to third place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Heading into the final four races of the season, Renault sit on one-hundred and thirty-five points in the championship, only one clear of both Racing Point and McLaren, and they have it all to play for across the Turkish, Bahrain, Sakhir and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekends.
“It goes without saying that having a two-time world champion getting involved is very beneficial,” Ocon said on his official column on Formula1.com. “It’s quite clear that Fernando is taking his return seriously and I see that as only positive.
“He’s becoming more involved recently and he joined us at the track for part of the weekend in Imola.
But our focus at the moment is finishing this season off as strongly as possible before we turn our attention to next year. He’s here to succeed, as am I and the team.”
