Fernando Alonso to make his official return on Saturday

Former two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will make his official return to Formula 1 on Saturday, the second day of the pre-season test at Bahrain. The test will mark the Spaniard's return after a two-year hiatus from the sport.

Fernando Alonso's return was confirmed last year when Renault announced the Spaniard as the replacement for Daniel Ricciardo. In a tweet shared by Alpine, Esteban Ocon will take care of driving duties on Friday while Fernando Alonso will take over on Saturday. They will share testing duties on Sunday.

#F1Testing Driver Line-Up:Friday: @OconEsteban Saturday: @alo_oficial Sunday AM: @OconEsteban Sunday PM: @alo_oficial pic.twitter.com/WfRkgQNceJ

— Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) March 11, 2021

Pre-season testing has been reduced to three days from the usual six days. This gives Alonso just over a day to acquaint himself with the car, and to get rid of any rustiness.

Question marks over Fernando Alonso

Several questions linger over Fernando Alonso. Formula 1 is notorious for quick progression and the 39-year-old returns to the series after a two-year hiatus. It will be of interest to see if the Spaniard still has his legendary pace.

Fernando Alonso also suffered a road accident in Switzerland at the start of the year, which prevented him from attending Alpine's car launch. Alonso suffered a broken jaw and is undergoing rehabilitation to recover from the accident. The pre-season test will show whether the Spaniard has recovered and if it's going to cause any problems while driving. Alonso - nearing his 40s - is not at peak physical condition. These factors will ensure that the Spaniard is going to be the center of Alpine's pre-season test.

Let’s go racing . @AlpineF1Team @BellRacingHQ @Citibank @BangOlufsen @Finetwork #emcjet @Kimoa @MAPFRE pic.twitter.com/7TINGOCvmm

— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) March 3, 2021

Is Fernando Alonso still fast? Has he lost his reflexes and ability to generate lap-times? Is he still rusty? Can he compete with younger drivers at this age? These are some questions that will be asked when Fernando Alonso hits the track for the first time on his return to Formula 1.