'Angry shark' Alonso won't distract Renault from 2022

Renault's Cyril Abiteboul says the returning Fernando Alonso is like "a big shark", but that his arrival in 2021 will not distract Renault from its long-term goals.

Alonso is replacing McLaren-bound Daniel Ricciardo next season, which will be the final year under the current aerodynamic regulations. Formula One hopes the sweeping changes to the rules for 2022 will shake up the pecking order after seven years of unchallenged Mercedes domination.

Last week Alonso returned to the cockpit an F1 car in a Renault test at Spain's Circuit de Catalunya, just days after Daniel Ricciardo had claimed the team's first podium finish since returning to the grid in 2016. Despite the team's clear upward…