Alpine want to give Alonso a better car for him to stay beyond 2022

Alpine admit that they have to deliver a better car to encourage Fernando Alonso to stay beyond 2022.

With the news recently being made official that the Spaniard will continue with the team next year, CEO Laurent Rossi says that they have to continue to show signs of progress if they want to keep Alonso for even longer.

"We just need to keep on doing what we're doing, because that [will] give him the confidence that he is in the right team," Rossi told select media, including RacingNews365.com.

"And obviously we need to give him a better car, so this yields better results. The results that we have are not where we want to be in four years from now, and I'm sure not where he wants to be.

"It's just a step on the way. We discussed that, me and him, quite a bit."

Rossi admits that whether or not Alonso – who recently celebrated his 40th birthday – will remain in F1 after 2022 also depends on how well he and Alpine continue to perform together.

"The idea is to stay together as long as we're performing together," Rossi explained. "And we'll play by ear, at the end of the year. Next year we'll decide what we do together.

"But the goal is to carry on as much as we can, as long as Fernando is going to be operating at the level he is, he should be an Alpine driver. If he is not fit for F1, he will leave F1 altogether.

"And we owe him a car that will match his talent, so that's the deal we have together."

Alonso returned to Formula 1 this season following two years away. He currently sits in 11th place in the Drivers' standings, just four points behind teammate Esteban Ocon.