Happy families: Martin Brundle on Alex

Date published : 16 Nov 2009 - 17:36:00

Formula Two news Happy families: Martin Brundle on Alex 16 November 2009Martin Brundle is pleased and pleasantly surprised with both the on and off-track performances of his son in 2009. Still in education, 19-year-old Alex made the jump to professional motorsport this season although a number of frustrations appeared to have held the Norfolk man back. Alex will not be celebrating his 20th birthday until next AugustWith the late Henry Surtees leading the way for Britain this season, Brundle finished the year 20th overall with five points to his name. "Alex took a big step forward over last winter and has shown a lot of speed and potential this season," said father Martin, BBC Formula One commentator and retired driver of 158 Grands Prix."He is very much worth investing in, especially given that he's only just turned 19 - Alex is four or five years younger than some of the other drivers, which is massive in terms of top level motorsport experience."Martin admits that performances were generally better than expected. "I remember, at the start of the season, I said that I hoped that Alex would finish in the top ten on occasions," Brundle Sr. went on. "He has regularly qualified and raced well inside the top ten, which has exceeded my expectations; he didn't get the results to match his full potential, for one reason or another - he was very unlucky while running fourth at Imola, when Bortolotti's engine went right in front of him and he went off on the oil." Martin believes the highs greatly overshadow the lows of 2009With finding equilibrium between a university education and motor racing often tricky, Martin is content with 2009 and consequently hopeful ahead of the 2010 campaign: "I am extremely satisfied with Alex's performance. He is still juggling a business degree at Nottingham University, so it's hard to balance it with training and racing. He is 18 months away from completing his degree and we're trying to make sure he's getting the right opportunities and experiences with his racing career at the same time. He's a smart and determined lad who will go far."