F1 2021: Fernando Alonso fires warning to Hamilton, Vettel, Verstappen ahead of new season

Two time Driver's Champion Fernando Alonso will make his much-anticipated return to F1 this weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Alonso, who has been out of the sport for the past two years, is already making headlines ahead of the F1 2021 season. The Spanish star has insisted that he is better than the likes of reigning Driver's Champion Lewis Hamilton, four-time Driver's Champion Sebastian Vettel and rising star Max Verstappen.

F1 2021: Fernando Alonso return could be detrimental to Hamilton, Vettel and Verstappen

Fernando Alonso is back on the grid with Alpine (earlier Renault), where the Spanish driver earlier won his two Driver's Championships. In the two years that Alonso was out of the sport, he has taken part in and won the World Endurance Championship as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Despite his absence from F1, Alonso has kept a close watch on all the drivers.

In an interview with BBC, Alonso said, "It’s going to be great, I’m looking forward [to it]; there were some young talented guys who have been showing great performance in the younger categories, and then we still have the champions, that were here two years ago with Lewis, Sebastian, Kimi. Verstappen – even if he is one of the young ones and the younger generation – he is racing at the top level for already four or five years. We have a competitive grid and it’s going to be a challenge to beat everyone on track."

Ahead of the F1 2021 season, Alonso has fired a warning to Hamilton, Vettel and Verstappen. When he was asked if he was as good as any of these drivers, Alonso in typical fashion replied, "No – I’m better." However, he was quick to point out that mounting a challenge for the championship this season was difficult, suggesting that he requires the support of the Alpine team to provide him with a strong car to challenge the likes of Mercedes and Red Bull.

"We understand that this year it’s not going to be possible because the regulations are a little bit different but basically the same as previous years, so I don’t see any miracles happening there. But in 2022 there’s a chance with the new regulations mixing a little bit the order of the grid and we want to be one of those teams that surprises everybody and to do that we need to work hard this year," added Alonso. Hearing these comments, Spanish fans will be happy to know that Fernando Alonso is serious about fighting for another Driver's Championship.

F1 2021 schedule

As per the F1 2021 schedule, the first race of the season is the Bahrain Grand Prix that begins this weekend. The Bahrain Grand Prix is from March 26-28 with the race set to begin on Sunday, March 28 at 8:30 PM IST. The action then moves to Italy and Portugal.

Bahrain Grand Prix live stream

In India, the Bahrain Grand Prix will be shown live on the Star Sports Network. The Bahrain Grand Prix live stream will be available on Disney+ Hotstar VIP. Live standings and updates of the race can be found on the social media of F1 and the respected teams.