From GMM

Finnish Formula 1 driver Heikki Kovalainen is likely to spend many years at team McLaren-Mercedes if he stays willing to be the team's number two driver.

That is the opinion of double world champion Fernando Alonso, who fled the British team after just one season alongside Lewis Hamilton in 2007.

His replacement this year was Kovalainen, the 26-year-old Finn who is 30 points behind championship leader Hamilton in the drivers' standings.

On Thursday in Budapest, McLaren confirmed that Kovalainen will remain Hamilton's teammate in 2009.

"If Kovalainen continues to do what McLaren wants him to do, surely they will keep him for many more years as well," Alonso told the Spanish broadcaster Telecinco.

Alonso, 27, said he believes Kovalainen is playing a supporting role to lead driver Hamilton.

"I cannot think of a race in which Heikki had the better race strategy compared with Hamilton. We saw in Hockenheim that he had to let his teammate past.

"I wouldn't want to be playing that role. I would rather be fifth or sixth with Renault than fourth of fifth with McLaren," he added.

Kovalainen on Thursday denied his role is to support Hamilton.

"I am trying to do the maximum for myself and I am not helping any other drivers, that's for sure," he said.

"I have no instructions from the team. I have the same car, the same opportunity and I am just working towards improving the pace and the results," the Finn added.