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Two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso is heading back to Renault for next season.
The 26-year-old Spaniard announced his return to the French team yesterday after a turbulent season at McLaren.
Renault said that Alonso would drive along with Nelson Piquet jnr in an all-new line-up next season.
Piquet, whose father and namesake was a triple champion in the 1980s, was test driver this year.
At Renault in 2005, Alonso became the youngest driver in F1 history to win the title. He repeated in 2006.
"I am delighted to be returning to Renault," Alonso said in a statement.
"This is the team where I grew up as a driver in Formula One. Now it is time for us to begin a new chapter together."
Renault managing director Flavio Briatore added: "Fernando and Nelsinho will form one of the most exciting driver line-ups of 2008.
"We are delighted to be welcoming Fernando back home to the team where he enjoyed his greatest success. His abilities as a driver and a team leader are well known, and we look forward to forging another strong partnership."
Alonso had been linked with a return to Renault since he was released from his three-year contract with McLaren last month.
A move to the French team gained momentum when the FIA decided against penalising Renault for possessing confidential information about rival team McLaren.
"The truth is, the first three weeks of November I took some holidays and enjoyed myself to no end, disconnecting from F1," Alonso wrote on his website.
"Deciding on [Renault] didn't take more than a week because myself, and the people who surround me, are all clear in what we want."
Alonso dismissed talk that he could have taken a year sabbatical, preferring patience while dissecting all of the possible options.
"We're talking about an important decision and I couldn't just return to any car by January ... Logically, the pressure was zero," Alonso said.
Alonso finished third in the 2007 drivers' standings with 109 points, though his season is better remembered by rocky relations with rookie driving partner Lewis Hamilton and a spy scandal that cost McLaren US$100 million ($127.6 million) and all of its constructors' championship points.
Renault finished third in the constructors' championship in 2007 with 51 points, 153 behind champion Ferrari.
Alonso made his F1 debut with Minardi in 2001. In 105 races, he has won 15 and finished on the podium 49 times. Giancarlo Fisichella and Heiki Kovalainen drove for Renault in 2007.
- AP
