Budkowski: 'You can see in everything about Alonso: He's happy to be back'

After his return to the premier class of motor racing and his stunning battle with rival Lewis Hamilton in Hungary, Alpine Executive Director Marcin Budkowski believes Fernando Alonso is an extremely motivated driver who is far from ready to retire.

Asked, in conversation with The Race, how he assesses Alonso's qualities after his return to the racing class, Budkowski emphasizes the racer's youthfulness and motivation. "He doesn’t feel like an old man ready to retire", Budkowski knows.

The Polish executive continues: "He is hungry, he is looking forward to next year. Every time in the factory he is asking ‘How is next year’s car coming?’ He is enjoying himself very much this year, I think you’ve seen that on the racetrack."

All in all, the technical director believes, it can be seen from Alonso that he is happy with his renewed presence on the Formula One grid. "Outside of the track, the interactions with the team, you can see that he is happy to be back in Formula 1", Budkowski said.