"Alonso at Renault is not sustainable because of the cutbacks"

Last week it was announced that Renault is going to make major cutbacks. However, this will not be at the expense of the F1 branch of the company, which will still be driving in F1 after 2020. However, for 2021 Renault will have to look for a new driver, as Daniel Ricciardo will leave the team after next season. Since then there have been many rumours that Fernando Alonso has a good chance of winning Ricciardo's seat. The cuts within the French company seem to indicate that the team cannot afford a major purchase.

Marco Zecchi, former team boss of Ferrari and others, also sees this. "If you fire people, but then spend a lot of money to sign Alonso, you run the risk of starting discussions. Unions are going to wonder why the company is firing employees," Zecchi said to Marca. The French company has announced that it is going to make cuts because of the corona crisis, which makes a major purchase like Alonso seem unlikely.

Marketing value Alonso

Although a large purchase may seem unlikely, there is also a great marketing value behind Alonso that may be of interest to the team. "If the management says they want to continue promoting the brand and see Alonso as a new ambassador, the choice for that driver could be more easily accepted by the company".

Whether we will actually see Alonso again at Renault for 2021, remains to be seen. Because of the uncertainty on a seat for 2021, several drivers are already looking around for a place in 2021. Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel are also looking at the empty seat at Renault.