Briatore: Alonso committed to Renault

Alonso will leave Renault at the end of the 2006 season to drive for rivals McLaren, in a controversial move which was announced just two months after the Spaniard had clinched the title with the French squad.

Some of Renault's rivals said ahead of the start of the season that Alonso's move would destabilise the team.

"I haven't seen any change at all in Fernando," said Briatore. "He is still hungry to win. We saw that in Bahrain and Malaysia. Last year, he only made one mistake all year, and if anything, he is even more mature this season.

"But he is the same guy, with 100% commitment to the team."

With Alonso leaving and teammate Giancarlo Fisichella's future still up in the air, speculation is likely to be rife about Renault's line-up for 2007.

Briatore said, however, Renault will only talk about drivers once they have made up their mind.

"The important thing is to have a competitive team, to keep Renault strong in Formula One," he said. "When the team is strong enough, then you attract strong drivers. We still have sixteen races to go, and people will try and talk about this every weekend.

"But we won't do it in public. We will only talk about our drivers when the decision has been taken."