Marcin Budkowski is surprised by Alonso’s racing level
Marcin Budkowski is amazed by the level of racing of Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard shows race after race that he still has things to show in F1.
At 40 years old, Fernando Alonso still manages to surprise during races. The Spaniard continues to work wonders behind the wheel of a single-seater, as evidenced by his fantastic duel against Lewis Hamilton in Hungary. By resisting for ten laps, the double world champion allowed his teammate, Esteban Ocon, to secure his very first victory in Formula 1.
Marcin Budkowski, the executive director of Alpine, says he is impressed by the level of his driver and his professionalism.
« I have worked with a number of drivers in just over 20 years in F1 and it’s extremely impressive. His approach is very professional. His racing skills also amaze me. We saw it in the sprint race at Silverstone and in Baku.
Eleventh on the starting grid in the sprint qualifying, Alonso made one of the best starts of his career by gaining six positions in the first turns. He will yield to the two McLarens. His performance allowed him to start the race the next day in seventh position. Budkowski still can’t believe it.
« It’s almost breathtaking because we are sitting on the pit wall, we have all the data and we have a complete view of the race. He is in the car driving at full speed and he has almost the same race analysis as we do in the pit wall.
Alonso remains ambitious as always.
Another impressive point according to Budkowski is the Spaniard’s ambition. Alonso is always hungry for victory and plans to keep his place in F1 for a few more years if Alpine provides him with a fast car.
He does not feel like an old man ready to retire. He is hungry and looking forward to next year. Every time he is at the factory, he asks about how the 2022 car is doing. He is happy to be back in Formula 1, but he is still ambitious, and our ambition is to do even better than what we are doing now. If we give him a competitive car next year, I don’t think he will leave anytime soon.
With 38 points to his name, Fernando Alonso has regained his pace in recent races. It would not be surprising to see him on the podium during the rest of the season. There are still many races to go. His team is positioned fifth ahead of AlphaTauri and Aston Martin, direct competitors.
Next year promises to be exceptional with the new era of Formula 1.
