Alonso in Barcelona for Renault testing

Fernando Alonso arrived in Barcelona on Monday to prepare for his test debut at the wheel of Renault’s 2020 car.

The Spaniard, returning to Formula 1 next year, will on Tuesday do a 100km ’filming day’ with the team that will be renamed Alpine in 2021.

And then on Wednesday, 39-year-old Alonso will switch to the cockpit of Renault’s 2018 car, in which he is permitted by the rules to complete unlimited laps.

When asked about the reported action in Barcelona this week, a spokesperson for the Circuit de Catalunya told El Mundo Deportivo newspaper: "Tomorrow (Tuesday) we have a private activity."

And Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul commented when asked the same question: "I cannot confirm or deny that."