Fernando Alonso says it is his 'wish' to stay at Ferrari, and that he is currently in negotiations to extend his contract with the Italian team.
The two-time world champion's future has been the subject of much speculation in recent months, with rumours even linking him with a return to former team McLaren.
However, Alonso has labelled the conjecture around his future 'disruptive', insisting that he is determined to remain a Ferrari driver - particularly as his desire to drive the team forward is being matched by the impetus provided by new team principal Marco Mattiacci.
"It's a year now that I've been saying I want to stay at Ferrari and extend my contract - that's my wish," Alonso told the official Ferrari website when asked about his F1 future.
"I have a contract for another two years and as I always say on the subject of rumours and to ensure calm, what I want is to continue. In fact, we're working on it [renewing his contract with Ferrari].
"Talk of other teams has never come from my lips; in fact it's always been the opposite. 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."
Asked what he needed to see from Ferrari in order to commit to the team, the Spaniard added: "Obviously the most important thing is to win, because that's the same for all sportsmen.
"However, I think Ferrari can offer a lot more than ‘only' winning - there is a passion for this team, which as a driver means you are already proud of what you are doing, independent of the results.
"The most important thing is to fix the things that are not going well on the car and in the team and to do everything that is needed.
"[Marco] Mattiacci also shares this desire to change things and to be more aggressive in our approach to our work. This renewed will to win makes staying at Ferrari even more attractive."
Alonso conceded that Ferrari have been off the pace in 2014, but believes the team are improving - and that they can bridge the gap to Mercedes ahead of the 2015 championship.
"This year has definitely been the toughest in the five I've been with Ferrari, in coming to Monza in greater difficulty and without having a really clear idea of what the race can hold for us - in the other years, we were fighting for the title or a podium was definitely within our grasp or maybe even a win," he said.
"For eleven races now we have been fighting to sort out the situation and become more competitive and I think we have done that. I would say the progress is visible, because in the last three or four races, we have become more competitive.
"What's certain is that we must reduce the gap over the winter and much more than in other winters, because it's a gap of around one and a half seconds. Clearly, the expectation for next year is to improve a lot.
"It's a major challenge for the whole team, because I think we have the ability, we have the structure, so it's just down to us to work hard."
(source: f1.com)
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