Fernando Alonso to drive 2020 Renault at end-of-season Abu Dhabi test

ENSTONE: Fernando Alonso will get his hands on Renault's 2020-spec Formula 1 car at one-day end-of-season test at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina circuit after Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said the FIA and F1 had granted them dispensation.

"Test Driver Guanyu Zhou and Fernando will get behind the wheel of the Renault R.S.20 cars that have contested the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship," the F1 team said in a statement.

Shanghai-born Zhou currently sits eighth in the 2020 FIA Formula 2 Championship with one win and five podiums to his name. The 21-year-old has completed five days of F1 testing in 2020, with runs in the R.S.18 car in Budapest, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, the latter of which were alongside Fernando, who returns to the sport in 2021 after a two-year hiatus.

"Zhou has experienced the benefit of the Renault Sport Academy, having joined its ranks last year. He has worked hard and made a genuine contribution to the performance of the team through his work in the simulator and test programme. I am delighted he can drive the R.S.20 to complement his journey so far," Cyril Abiteboul, Team Principal, Renault DP World F1 Team.

"For Fernando, this will be the next step in his return. He has worked tirelessly to make sure he is as ready as he possibly can be for 2021. He wants to contribute fully - not just to the team, but to the fans and the sport he has missed in the past two years," he added.