McLaren rookie Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he would prefer to see Fernando Alonso racing for Ferrari next season rather than have him beside him as teammate at McLaren for a second successive season.

Speaking ahead of this afternoon’s Japanese Grand Prix, the young British rookie confirmed what everyone has been believing for some time now, that there is no love lost between the duo, and another season together would not be wise,. However, when all is said and done, he is fully aware that it is not his decision to make….

"I mean, if the team wants to keep him they keep him but I'm here to stay as long as they want me,'' Reuters quote him as saying. "I don't know who else would slip in here, but I'd much rather it were Fernando in a Ferrari and me in a McLaren."

Lewis went on to say that being on course to win the world championship in his rookie season has firmly made his mind up on where he wants to be….

"This season has helped reconfirm in my mind where I want to be, where I want to live out my career, and that is here. I'm really happy and comfortable here. So long as they want me, there's no reason to move anywhere else.''

There has been talk that Alonso may try to take his young teammate out in this afternoon’s race in order to get ahead of him on track and in the championship standings. These thoughts were fueled by the Spaniards first lap stunt in Belgium two weeks ago. However, Lewis intends to play fair and insists that if Alonso does anything underhanded in the final three races it will only ruin his own reputation, no one else’s.

"I think it will be interesting to see during the last three races whether he'll have the thing Michael Schumacher had, where he'll do anything ... (not caring) whether he runs himself or anyone else on the grid off the road. Will he do absolutely anything? I guess that's one of the questions, will he break under pressure? We'll just have to wait and see. It will ruin his reputation more than mine, because I'd never do that. I want to win this fair and square.''