Prost trusts Alonso will return with changed 'philosophy'

Renault F1 director Alain Prost believes 2021 recruit Fernando Alonso will return to F1 with a different philosophy after spending two years away from the sport.

Renault recently sealed a two-year deal with Alonso that will see Spaniard renew his association for a third time with the French manufacturer with which he won both his world titles.

Prost admitted that Alonso's reputation as a trouble-maker and his track record of publicly unleashing his frustrations in difficult times were a cause for concern at Renault.

• Hamilton has no doubt Alonso will be 'in great shape'

But Prost says that lengthy talks with the 38-year-old before he signed up for a new spell with Renault alleviated the latter's concerns.

"What happened with Fernando and different teams was my biggest problem and question mark," Prost told Reuters. "I talked to Fernando many times about that.

"I really trust him that he’s going to have another philosophy.

"Two years outside Formula 1 in my opinion was maybe not bad for him to have a different feeling, different view.

"He knows what he’s going to get in terms of performance of the car, he knows that 2021 is also going to be a little bit difficult.

"He’s prepared for that … I really think he’s going to be very different than people understand."

Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul is also confident that Alonso's two-year hiatus from F1 will have had a positive bearing on the Spaniard's fiery character.

"I think the years that he had away from the track have probably been an opportunity for him to reset, to actually measure how lucky or privileged we are all of us to operate and perform in Formula 1, and probably to come with a fresh set of mind," Abiteboul told Motorsport.com.

"Let's not forget how the competition can be toxic on people, on individuals, you know. No matter how hard you try, or how hard you work, you can't win. And it's the sport that is doing that.

"I'm not surprised that a sport that's like that is creating this type of situation and therefore legacy, but that's also why he [Alonso] was so interested in this new profile for the sport, and maybe the opportunity of bringing a new Fernando into a new F1."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter