Minardi driver Alex Yoong has indicated that he would like to remain with the outfit for next season, hoping that they exercise the current option for his 2003 services.

A press release confirmed that the outfit signed Alex to a "one-year-plus-one-year" contract when the 25-year-old Malaysian joined the Faenza squad at the end of last year, and Yoong is hoping that team boss Paul Stoddart will keep him on.

Yoong has faced criticism this year as he has been comprehensively outpaced by his team mate Mark Webber, who last week tested for Jaguar Racing in Barcelona, and even failed to qualify for the San Marino Grand Prix in April.

However, he feels he has been improving his performance throughout the year, and is confident that his improved performances will speak for themselves over the rest of the season.

"I believe the first half of this year has enabled me to learn a lot about Formula One™, and that experience is now beginning to be reflected in my on-track performance," the Malaysian driver remarked.

"I also realise that, with the exception of three of the past nine races, the results have not really been there, and that there has been criticism, both at home and abroad, as a result.

"In reality, though, it is only my engineer, Greg Wheeler and myself who truly know the progress I've made, and we feel I'm much stronger now than at the beginning of the year. My qualifying pace, and especially my race pace, have improved, and I feel confident this will show in my favour during the balance of the season."

But, what are Yoong's plans if Minardi decides not to exercise the option? "We will, of course, then look at opportunities elsewhere, including across the Atlantic and in other forms of racing in Europe, such as GTs and sports cars," he replied.

"A testing role with another F1™ team can also be explored. For now, though, my focus is absolutely 100 per cent on improving and getting the most out of the Minardi package and hope that my performance for the rest of the season will convince the team to exercise their option on me for next year."