Alpine victory in Hungary was 'not just a fluke'

It was a magical moment for Alpine, the Hungarian Grand Prix. The team finally won a race, but Executive Director Marcin Budkowski knows Alpine still has a lot to work towards. Still, the top man doesn't attribute everything to luck.

Since returning as a factory team in Formula 1, they have often said at the Renault team that they drive in the sport to win. They have failed to do so in recent years, but now that the team has been rebranded as Alpine, the first win is finally back in the books.

Marcin Budkowsi, the team's Executive Director, knows it was an exceptional situation, but doesn't write it off entirely on luck. "There was an element of luck, but it wasn't everything. You can be lucky at the start, but then you still have to deliver. These are the moments you do it for as a team. But let's not get completely carried away We don't have a race-winning car on a normal race day yet," Budkowsi explained to Motorsport.com .

Top team still the goal

Like his predecessor Cyril Abiteboul, the Alpine team boss has ambitious goals for the future. According to Budkowski, the goal is still to make a car that can really fight for wins. "We want to taste the champagne after every race, not just when we have favorable conditions. That's hugely important for the team."

Remarkably, Budkowski was frustrated by the rain at the start of the race. "I didn't know if it would mean anything good," he said.

After all, the Alpine top man would have been happy with a few points in Hungary and rain can mean a one-way trip to the gravelpit. "This time, fortunately, it wasn't us."