Briatore: Alonso will race in 2003

This year, Alonso, who impressed as a Minardi driver in 2000, has been Renault's test driver and also enjoyed a one-off outing for Jaguar. Briatore says his driver has a number of options for next season, but stopped short of confirming that the Spaniard would replace Jenson Button at Renault.

"Fernando will have no problem. Four or five teams are interested in him," said Briatore at Magny-Cours on Wednesday. "He will be in Formula 1 next year. We cannot block a driver like him. If he doesn't get a place at Renault, he will definitely find a place at another team."

Although Alonso has stated that he would prefer to race for Renault, Briatore praised the efforts of Button, who has scored the majority of the team's 14 points this year. This could be a sign that the Italian is considering holding on to the Englishman while Alonso gains F1 race experience with another team.

"This year the relationship between the team and Jenson has been super," added Briatore. "He's done a super job. He deserves a top team."