Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali says the Italian squad is set to retain Felipe Massa when his current contract ends.
With speculation mounting about who will partner Fernando Alonso from next year, Domenicali told Britain's BBC on Thursday that Ferrari is almost certain to keep Massa for another year. "Yes, I think so," he said of Massa staying on. When asked if he was sure, he repeated: "Yes."
Massa has been with the team since the 2001 season and his contract ends at the end of this year. Australian Mark Webber and Pole Robert Kubica have been linked with the seat.
Domenicali also insisted the team has been very happy with the performances of Alonso, despite some costly errors.
"I don't want to speak about mistakes," he added. "We are a group and the team does the best with the car and the drivers do the best with the performance.
"I'm very pleased with him. He came into the team in a fantastic way and I think that he gave input to the team and I say let's wait until the end of the season. He will be very strong – I have no doubt about that."