McLaren's Fernando Alonso denies F1 retirement talk

McLaren driver Fernando Alonso has moved to scotch talk that he will retire from Formula One.

Alonso returned to McLaren after a five-year stint with Ferrari last season, but 2015 was a miserable one for the two-time champion and his team.

Reliability issues with a new Honda-powered engine hindered McLaren's progress and Alonso managed just 11 points from the 19 races.

Reports in the British media suggested that Alonso could walk away if he does not see noticeable improvements in pre-season testing, which has been taking place in Barcelona this week.

But the Spaniard denied the rumours, telling reporters: "It is something I read and I was very surprised.

"I have a contract for three years and I'm not thinking of anything else."

Alonso racked up 119 laps on day two of pre-season and the two-time world champion insists he is still fully motivated.

"My motivation is high, we have a good chassis and we hope to be more competitive this year," he added.

"The times are not good yet, but we have done a lot of aerodynamic work."