New deal as Fernando Alonso seeks long stay at Ferrari

Fernando Alonso says he plans to see out his Formula 1 career at Ferrari after the Italian team announced that they had extended the double world champion's contract to the end of 2016.

The Spaniard, who won his titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006, is in his second season with the sport's oldest, most successful and glamorous team.

The 29-year-old won on his Ferrari debut in Bahrain last year and ended the season as world championship runner-up to Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel after taking the title battle down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.

Ferrari released the news of Alonso's new contract in a statement ahead of the driver's home grand prix at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Company president Luca di Montezemolo said: "It is a great pleasure to have renewed our agreement with a driver who has always demonstrated a winning mentality even in the most difficult circumstances.

"Fernando has all the required qualities, both technically and personally to play a leading role in the history of Ferrari and I hope he will be enriching it with further wins very soon."

Alonso is currently fifth in the 2011 drivers' standings, 52 points behind Vettel after four races.

Vettel, 23, is seeking his fourth win of the season this weekend but Alonso, who finished third in Turkey two weeks ago for his first podium of the season, mounted a strong comeback last year in similar circumstances.

He said: "I am very happy to have reached this agreement. I immediately felt comfortable within Ferrari and now it feels to me like a second family. I have the utmost faith in the men and women who work in Maranello and in those who lead them."

Alonso, who started his F1 career with the Italian Minardi team in 2001, added "It is therefore natural for me to decide to extend my relationship in the long term like this, with a team at which I will no doubt end my Formula 1 career one day."

There was no mention in the statement of Brazilian Felipe Massa, Alonso's current team-mate. However Montezemolo said last week that Massa had a contract for next year and would be staying.