Alpine’s Fernando Alonso says he expect﷽s to see “a few surprises” when teams finally reveal their true pace at Formula 1’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend.

Attempting to establish any kind of competitive order based ☂on pre-season alone has proven to be a near-impossible task given the many permutations at 🍒play.

McLaren, Alpine and AlphaTauri all enjoyed a notably strong winter test and the midfield pack looks to have converged even more amid a carry-over of significant car parts and relatively stable rules, while Red Bull appeared to hold the edge over the fi𒁃eld,𒅌 including the dominant Mercedes squad.

Returning two-time world cham🎶pion Alonso believes a first glimpse of the 2021 pecking order will begin to emerge on Saturday during qualifying in Bahrain.

“We covered a lot of mileage during testing, which is important as it gives you some𒀰thing to build on for the rest of the season,” Alonso said.

"🦩We also completed most of ♛our programme during the three days in Bahrain, so we are relatively pleased on that front.

“In terms of performance it’✱s too early to tell, and I think we won’t know the true pecking order of the grid until the first qualifying session on Saturday where ever🍒yone has low fuel, the fastest tyres fitted and full power from the engine. I expect there will be a few surprises.”

The 39-year-old - who will race with titanium plates in the jaw he fractured in a cycling accident last month - said he has left no st🧸one unturned ahead of his F1 comeback after two years away.

“Ever since I agree🌳d to join Alpine F1 Team, I have put a lot of effort in to be both physicall𝓀y and mentally prepared for this season,” he explained.

“I learnt a lot in my time away from Formula 1, especially all the different🐼 styles of racing, but 🅰I’m now back in F1 and very motivated for what should be a challenging season ahead.

“It was fun to be back at the wheel of an F1 car for testing, but now I can’t wait to go racing🔯.👍"