McLaren racing director Eric Boullier has stressed that Fernando Alonso remains happy at the team despite some struggles through Formula 1 pre-season testing in Barcelona, saying th꧟e Spaniard is in a "different mindset" this year.

Alonso recorded the third-fastest t♔ime of the winter for McLaren as the team started its new partnership with engine supplier Renault, only to suffer a number of on-track stoppages across the course of the two weeks of testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Alonso was si🏅delined on his seventh lap of the day on Friday, costing him four hours of running as McLaren slumped to the bottom of the mileage count.

The two-time F1 world champion was known to be disgruntled through McLaren's struggles with Honda over the last three years, with the ear🐈ly issues for Renault sparking concern about his happiness.

However, Boullier knocked back any suggestionꦏs that Alonso was unsettl🐎ed at McLaren, and added he could tell a noticeable difference in his approach for 2018.

"He is happy yes. Obviously he’s a competitor so he wants the best of th𒐪e best and he 𝕴wants more always," Boullier said.

"Even if you asked Lewis Hamilton 'are you happy?’༺ he will tell you: 'No I need this, I need that, I want this’, they alway꧂s want more.

"Alonso is in different mindset this year. You may have seen actually spending a lot of time here even when not driving the car, so he’s quite in♈terested and supportive of what we’re do✤ing.

"I’m sure he’s happy now."

Asked about Alonso's expectations about the new car, Boullier said: "He’s quite happy with the car and the car balance. There is some suspension work to be done, to work and underst🥂and the car, but he’s quite happy with the balance of the car."