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Fernando Alonso speaks about Ferrari future ahead of Italian Grand Prix at Monza
Spanish driver says there is "no problem" staying at Ferrari until 2016
Rumors about a switch to F1 rivals Red Bull or McLaren not fueled by him, Alonso says
The rumors have been whizzing around the pit lane for months, but Fernando Alonso says he’s staying put at Ferrari – at least for the time being.
The Spaniard has moved to quell mounting speculation about his future with Formula One’s oldest team ahead of its home race, this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at the historic Monza circuit.
“I have a contract for another two years and as I always say on the subject of rumors and to ensure calm, what I want is to continue for the necessary years,” Alonso told the Ferrari F1 team’s official website on Wednesday.
“Let’s see if that can happen, but for the next two years at least, there is no problem.”
Alonso joined Ferrari from Renault in 2010 and currently earns around $30 million a year, according to U.S. business magazine Forbes.
But while the 33-year-old isn’t short of cash, grand prix victories have been lacking in recent times – he last took the checkered flag 27 races ago at the Spanish Grand Prix in May 2013.
Mercedes and Red Bull have left Ferrari trailing in their wake this season, with double world champion Alonso recording just two podium finishes in 12 races.
He is fourth in the drivers’ championship, 99 points behind leader Nico Rosberg of Mercedes, while Ferrari is a distant third behind the German’s dominant team.
Alonso’s relegation to also-ran so far this year has fueled speculation about his future, with both Red Bull and his former team McLaren rumored to be interested in signing him – much to his annoyance.
“It’s not nice, because it creates a bit of stress and it means it is disruptive for me, the fans and for the people in the team,” he said.
“It’s a year now that I’ve been saying I want to stay at Ferrari and extend my contract. That’s my wish, I repeat it every two weeks, at the end of every race, yet it’s never said, in fact there is a tendency for the opposite to be said.
“Talk of other teams has never come from my lips, in fact it’s always been the opposite.”