“He doesn’t feel like an old man ready to retire”– Alpine reveals Fernando Alonso is willing to give many years to them

Tanish Chachra | 20/08/2021
"He doesn't feel like an old man ready to retire"– Alpine reveals Fernando Alonso is willing to give many years to them

“He doesn’t feel like an old man ready to retire”– Fernando Alonso, even at the age of 40, is convinced to make a long F1 journey.

Fernando Alonso is the second oldest driver on the current grid after Kimi Raikkonen, but according to him, he is still going strong in his career, as age is just a number for him.

At the same time, Alpine is also impressed by Alonso’s form and talked about how the Spaniard feels about his future with them amidst new regulations.

“I think how long is a question for Fernando. We celebrated his [40th] birthday [in Hungary] and certainly he doesn’t feel like an old man ready to retire,” Budkowski told RacingNews365.com.

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

“But even outside of the track, the interactions with the team, you can see that he’s enjoying it and is happy to be back in Formula 1.”

Fernando Alonso is excited about 2022

Alonso’s current contract with Alpine allows him to drive for the Enstone based team in 2022, and Budkowski reveals that the Spaniard is massively excited for the new project.

“Obviously, his ambitions, like our ambitions, [are] to do better than what we’re doing now, and that’s what we’re working hard on for next year. He’s excited about that,” added Budkowski.

“If we give him a competitive car next year, I don’t think he’s going to go anywhere anytime soon. He’s going to want more and more of it,” he concluded.

Alonso earlier said that he could contribute to Alpine at least till 2024, and if he feels like competing even further, he will seek an extension further.

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
Alpine Fernando Alonso

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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