Fernando Alonso to stay with Ferrari despite McLaren interest

McLaren may want a reunion with Fernando Alonso, but the Spaniard has no intention of leaving Ferrari.

On a frantic Friday at the Singapore Grand Prix, McLaren chief Martin Whitmarsh announced he wanted to bring Alonso back to the team he drove for during the 2007 season.

When asked directly if he wanted to recruit Alonso, Whitmarsh responded: “Yes - any team would. He’s the best driver.”

“I don’t know his contractual situation. I assume he’s under contract.”

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But any hopes McLaren had of luring Alonso back were quickly quashed, with the two-time world champion declaring he saw his long-term future with Ferrari.

“I keep repeating every weekend – and I don’t know why I have to keep repeating – I love Ferrari and I will stay in Ferrari until the end,” the 32-year-old told Sky Sports News.

“It is nice to have the comments from the other team principals every year saying they respect my job and my professionalism – especially McLaren as there were so many rumors that we had a lot of problems that year.

“But I always say that I had no problems with anyone, it was just the philosophy of the team or rather one man in the team that is no longer there.

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“It is good to have these comments, but I have no intention (to leave). I have three more years with Ferrari and I hope many more to come if we can extend the contract and that will be my hope.”

Two-time world champion Alonso has been with Ferrari since 2010, but his position as the team’s undisputed No. 1 driver has been called into question following the announcement Finn Kimi Raikkonen will race for the Italian manufacturer in 2014.

Alonso was also given a dressing down by Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo for appearing to criticize the team’s car earlier in the season.

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Alonso’s solitary season with McLaren was a turbulent one, with in-fighting damaging team unity as both the Spaniard and rookie driver Lewis Hamilton challenged for the world championship.

The 2007 title instead went to Raikkonen, who was racing for Ferrari, by one point.

Raikkonen’s return to Ferrari on a two-year deal was confirmed last week, with the current Lotus driver replacing outgoing Brazilian Felipe Massa.

Alonso is desperate to win a world title with F1’s most successful team, but has been thwarted by Red Bull’s triple world champion Sebastian Vettel and a car which has at times been uncompetitive.

Alonso sits second in the drivers’ standings, 53 points behind current leader Vettel after 12 races of the 2014 season.