Former Renault boss Flavio Br⛄iatore says Fernando Alonso has “detoxed” himself and is now fully ready for a return to the Formula 1 gri🅷d in 2021. 

After a year away from F1, Alonso has found himself linked ℱwith a comeback at Renault, with the French manufacturer left with a seat to fill after the news that Daniel Ricciardo will joi💖n McLaren next season. 

Last week’s dramatic dri🌠ver market shuffle was sparked by the news that Sebastian Vettel will depart Ferrari at the end of the year, trigg💮ering the Scuderia’s capture of Carlos Sainz and McLaren’s subsequent signing of Ricciardo. 

The vacancy at Renault has led to speculation that Alonso - who recently teased that his racing plans for 202﷽1 were “more or less” firmed u🤪p - could return to the Enstone squad he won the world title with in 2005 and 2006. 

"Fernando is motivated,” the Spaniard’s manager, Flavio Briatore, told Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport. 

“A year out of Formula 1 has done him good. He has detoxed hi𝐆mᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚself and I see him more serene and ready to return.”

Briatore believes Vettel ultimately “paid” for the fact that his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc turned out to be faster than expected and added that having 𝓡two drivers at the same level is always likely to have a negative outcome for the team. 

"In F1 it has always bee𓆉n about having the winning recipe," he explained. 

"You must have one driver who is focused on the world championship and the other who collects big pꩲoints, snatching them from rivals.

"Vettel paid for the fact that a very fast boy arrived at the🍌 team. It surprised him and the team, as happened at McLaren with [Lewis] Hamilton.Two drivers at the same level in a team eventually risk taking poin🐻ts off each other.”

And Briatore reckons the decision to sig💜n Sainz, rather than continuing with Vettel, reflects that Ferrari has already ꦬmade Leclerc its number one priority. 

"He [Sainz] is a good driver, and he had a good champi💞onship in 2019 if we consider the car he had available,” ꩲhe said. 

"The🌱 situation seems clear to me: Ferrari is betting everything on Leclerc and it is good because, as I had the opportunity to say last year, he i🐟s a future star. Similarities with Alonso and Schumacher? You can see the good drivers right away.

"I remember well the numbers that Michael did, even if he was still very young, with Benetton. There were also the calls from Gia🍷ncarlo Minardi to tell me about the young Alonso. You understand imme🌊diately if one is special, and Charles is."