Renault puts everything in place for a farewell with Alonso in the leading role

It is Renault's last Formula 1 Grand Prix under the current name. From 2021 the team will continue as Alpine Racing and so the season will have to be closed appropriately and Fernando Alonso will be present for that.

Anyone other than Fernando Alonso can best herald the end of the Renault era. The Spaniard is responsible for the only two world titles in Renault's history. The two-time world champion took his titles in 2005 and 2006 and is stepping into Abu Dhabi for a demo in his old car for the occasion.

Alonso back at Renault

However, it was not easy to get that car working again, because the 2005 R25 was last used in 2006. In order to get Fernando's old love back to work, Renault set up a team to restore the car. They succeeded because a test run had already been made on a circuit in France. 

''It is very emotional to see the R25 again and having Fernando at the wheel is the icing on the cake. The collaboration with the racing driver was a classic in F1 and remains one of Renault's most proud achievements in motorsport. While the car is a symbol of our past performance, Fernando reflects our strong ambition to continue to press for more success and to recapture those incredible moments and emotions. Of course, any results will now come under the Alpine name, but our future success will all be a tribute to this great time in the history of Renault's F1," said Cyril Abiteboul.