Fernando Alonso despatched a warning to his rivals by setting the quickest lap time at Components One’s post-season check in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

The 2-time world champion will return to the grid with the rebranded Alpine crew (at present Renault) subsequent season after two years away from the game.

His participation in Tuesday’s check was controversial because the session was initially scheduled for younger drivers with expertise of lower than two races in F1.

Alonso, who’s 39 years previous and has began 311 grands prix in his profession, was given particular dispensation by the FIA to participate with a purpose to get his first full day of testing in a 2020-spec automotive.

He briefly drove this 12 months’s Renault R.S.20 at a filming day in October however was restricted to 100km, whereas the remainder of his preparation for his return has been in a 2018-spec automotive to adjust to F1’s strict testing laws.

He accomplished 105 laps on Tuesday, over 583km or practically two race distances, setting a quickest time of 1:36.333 on Pirelli’s softest compound tyre.

Comparisons to Saturday’s qualifying are usually not excellent attributable to completely different monitor situations, however for context Max Verstappen’s pole time was a 1:35.246 and Alonso’s teammate for subsequent 12 months, Esteban Ocon, set a 1:36.359 in the identical automotive.

Renault confirmed Alonso accomplished low-fuel qualifying-style runs in addition to a race simulation with a purpose to stand up to hurry with the newest F1 equipment.

“It was good and really good to be again within the automotive particularly with the race crew,” Alonso stated. “I have been testing the 2018 automotive in preparation however this one felt a bit extra severe and it ignited slightly bit the aggressive spirit.

“It was nice to really feel the fashionable vehicles and expertise what they’ll do. I used to be watching the crew’s progress on the weekend carefully and it was good to expertise what I learnt from the skin after which contained in the cockpit at the moment.

“We signed off numerous basic items we did in preparation on the manufacturing facility like seat becoming, pedal place and so forth, which is helpful with just one and a half days of winter testing subsequent 12 months.

“We ticked packing containers at the moment and we go into Christmas and New 12 months with good spirit and everybody motivated within the crew.”

Groups have been allowed to run two vehicles on the check and world champions Mercedes completed the session second and third.

Mercedes’ Components E drivers, Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne, have been driving the 13-time race successful W11, with respective lap occasions of 1:36.595 and 1:36.840.

Alfa Romeo reserve driver Robert Kubica, who additionally wouldn’t have met the unique entry necessities for the check, was fourth quickest, albeit over a second off Alonso’s quickest time.

There was additionally a glimpse of subsequent 12 months’s driver line-ups, with Yuki Tsunoda, who is anticipated to be confirmed as Daniil Kvyat’s alternative at Alpha Tauri, fourth quickest and Mick Schumacher, the son of seven-time world champion Michael, fifteenth quickest with 125 laps within the Haas.

McLaren and Racing Level opted towards participating within the check and Haas determined to run only one automotive as a substitute of two.

For essentially the most half, reserve and junior drivers took half, with drivers who raced repeatedly in 2020 dominated out of operating by the FIA.

Occasions and lap counts

1. Alonso, Renault, 1:36.333, 105 laps
2. De Vries, Mercedes, 1:36.595, 110 laps
3. Vandoorne, Mercedes, 1:36.840, 82 laps
4. Kubica, Alfa Romeo, 1:37.446, 89 laps
5. Tsunoda, AlphaTauri, 1:37.557, 123 laps
6. Vips, Crimson Bull, 1:37.770, 101 laps
7. Fuoco, Ferrari, 1:37.817, 126 laps
8. Ilott, Alfa Romeo, 1:37.826, 93 laps
9. Zhou, Renault, 1:37.902, 98 laps
10. Aitken, Williams, 1:38.153, 78 laps
11. Shwartzman, Ferrari, 1:38.157, 129 laps
12. Buemi, Crimson Bull, 77 laps
13. Sato, AlphaTauri, 1:38.495, 127 laps
14. Nissany, Williams, 1:39.800, 75 laps
15. Schumacher, Haas, 1:39.947, 125 laps