'No problem' with Hamilton or Vettel at Ferrari

Alonso not afraid of anyone

(GMM) Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari? It sounds unlikely, but the Spaniard on Thursday said he would have "no problem" pairing up again with his old McLaren sparring partner.

Ferrari number one Alonso also played a straight bat as reporters at Valencia probed him about boss Stefano Domenicali's suggestion that he and back-to-back world champion Sebastian Vettel could happily co-exist at Ferrari.

"After I won the title in '05 with Renault, people were saying I was already going to Ferrari and it took me five years, so maybe Seb will come in five years," he smiled.

The real news of the hour was the 30-year-old's confirmation that he wields a vote in Ferrari's deliberations about the identity of his next teammate.

"In the past, never, but now in Ferrari, yes," Alonso admitted.

On paper, and according to the coy Alonso, Hamilton is an option for Ferrari, but in reality the 27-year-old Briton is simply gearing up for "tough" forthcoming negotiations with McLaren.

Team supremo Ron Dennis revealed in Canada that, despite McLaren's long and close relationship with Hamilton, there are troubled waters ahead if the driver's management squeezes too hard on the money front.

"Ron is very tough negotiator," Hamilton admitted on Thursday. "He was very tough when they negotiated the contract I have now, I expect him to be the same when we go back in.

"But I don't see there being that many problems, to be honest," he added.