Two times world champion Fernando Alonso took the Jaguar R3 out for a spin as a test driver at the Silverstone circuit in 2002
Fernando Alonso once tested for team Jaguar. This event took place during the 2002 season despite him already signing the dotted lines with Renault.
Alonso back in the early 2000s was one of the top talents. He made his car racing debut at the 1999 Euro Open by Nissan and won the title eventually.
Moreover, Minardi came calling signing him as the test driver for the 2000 season. He finally got the opportunity to drive during the 2001 season finishing 23rd in the standings.
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Fernando Alonso testing for Jaguar in 2002
Fernando Alonso drove for Minardi but opted to sign up as the test driver for a more competitive Renault for the 2002 season. Flavio Briatore’s involvement led to the two times world champion joining Renault.
The Spaniard in the eyes of the F1 paddock was a future world championship winner. The engineers in Jaguar got a glimpse of it when he participated in an evaluation test for the team in May 2002.
He competed against regular test drivers James Courtney and Andre Lotterer at the Silverstone Circuit in 2002. He drove the Jaguar R3 car around the iconic British circuit.
Fernando Alonso testing Jaguar pic.twitter.com/I4ftVMJwfc
— Rinco Smits (@RincoSmits1969) January 13, 2021
Two times World Champion’s experience of driving the Jaguar R3
The soon-to-be Aston Martin driver will be pretty familiarized with the iconic green colour. Besides, has already got a taste of what it is like to daunt a green-coloured car with a Jaguar previously.
He stated about the testing experience: “The more F1 cars I test, the better for me. This is the fifth or sixth car that I have tried out and it went pretty well. If they (other teams) want me that is good for me.”
The Jaguar team was not looking to replace Eddie Irvine or Pedro de la Rosa. Moreover, Alonso explained that testing for Jaguar would not hamper his future with Renault. He added: “At the moment I am only thinking about Renault.”
It’s @alo_oficial! Driving for Jaguar in 2002 during a test at Silverstone pic.twitter.com/N6TNkBYGDm
— WTF1 (@wtf1official) February 7, 2021
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