Heikki Kovalainen has today revealed he would love to finish his Formula One career with McLaren.

The Woking-based team have confirmed Kovalainen will again partner Lewis Hamilton in 2009 as they look to build on the stability they have created this season.

The move comes as no surprise as Hamilton and Kovalainen have developed a close friendship since the Finn joined McLaren following his release from Renault at the end of last year.

However, the 26-year-old has endured his fair share of troubles this season, and after 10 races he trails Hamilton by 30 points in the drivers' standings, with his title chances virtually gone.

But although Kovalainen has made the podium only once this year, McLaren have now made it clear they are determined to stand by him.

If that can be achieved and Kovalainen starts to gain the results his talent deserve, he is hoping his partnership with McLaren lasts beyond next year.

"I am very, very happy with this team," said Kovalainen. "I have no second thoughts about being with them. There is great potential, and I want to be part of it.

"I want to become a successful driver with them, and hopefully we can announce at some point in the future that I will stay for many years to come. I'd be happy to finish my career with this team, to be honest."

Hamilton is delighted Kovalainen is staying on board. "It's great news," he said. "The atmosphere in the team is fantastic, and a lot of that is due to Heikki being there and how we have worked together.

"So I welcome it, and I really hope he stays for longer," said Hamilton.

Kovalainen himself has conceded there is more to come as he knows he has not yet lived up to his billing. However, McLaren's chief executive Martin Whitmarsh said: "He is a brilliant young driver.

"His pass of Robert Kubica at Hockenheim during the German Grand Prix reminded anybody who needed reminding that he has all the speed and skill to be battling at the front.

"But there's no magic in Formula One and we still need to work with Heikki to extract his full potential.

"At Hockenheim he didn't get the best out of himself or the package and we need to work on how we fine-tune the car's set-up and how Heikki is involved in that process.

"He was at the McLaren Technology Centre last week to carry out his pre-race programme. He is working hard with his engineers to find a set-up that allows him to maintain his speed throughout a race without suffering from some of the rear-end nervousness that he has encountered recently."

The tight, twisty nature of the Hungaroring circuit will do Kovalainen no favours if he has been struggling with the rear of his car.

But Whitmarsh is convinced the team have addressed its technical problems. "We travel to Budapest confident that we have strengthened the weaknesses of our package," he added.