Renault not planning on running Alonso in FP1 this year

Renault has no plans on warming up Fernando Alonso for 2021 by giving the Spaniard FP1 outings this season says team boss Cyril Abiteboul.

Renault announced on Wednesday that the two-time F1 world champion had renewed his allegiance with the French outfit from 2021, allowing Alonso to return to the grid two years after his departure from McLaren.

Since his exit from F1, the 38-year-old has kept himself busy with various engagements, racing with Toyota at Le Mans and in the Dakar rally-raid and with McLaren at Indy.

• Official: Alonso to return to F1 with Renault in 2021!

Abiteboul doesn't believe that his future driver needs to get re-acquainted with F1 before his official return next year although a run in a 2018 car could be considered.

"I don’t think he needs an FP1 to get familiar with the procedures in a racing car, or in a Formula 1 car," Abiteboul said, quoted by Motorsport.com. "I don’t think he needs that. That’s not the plan.

"We’ll see if there is any obvious opportunity. We have always the possibility of running him in a 2018 car.

"Again, we don’t have any firm plan. But no, as far as FP1 is concerned, I don’t think it’s a necessary investment."

Alonso is currently gearing up for his third onslaught on the Indy 500 which he will undertake in August with Arrows McLaren SP. But he'll likely gradually bed in with Renault after the summer.

"He will at some point get into our factory to get to meet the team," Abiteboul said.

"It’s a great opportunity to set some time in advance of next year to get familiar with the team, in the way we are working.

"He will be a boost for the staff motivation. A lot of the people who have joined, in particular at Enstone, were maybe students or were at school when Fernando won his first title with us.

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