Tuesday 10 June at 14:33 : New grand prix winner and championship leader Robert Kubica said he would enjoy having double world champion Fernando Alonso as his BMW-Sauber teammate.

The 23-year-old Pole is close friends with Spaniard Alonso, and the pair often spend the evenings during race weekends out to dinner or playing cards.

Kubica is likely to remain at the Hinwil based team with a higher retainer next year, but his current teammate Nick Heidfeld - albeit with a valid 2009 contract - has struggled notably this season.

Asked by the Spanish newspaper El Pais if he would welcome Alonso to BMW, Kubica replied: "I would have no problem with that. I get along with him very well.

"I do not know what the future holds, but if we do both drive for BMW, we would have a lot of fun," he added.

"We appreciate each other as drivers but also as people. You know with him that when he says something, it is what he really thinks.

"He is not someone who thinks too much about his image, or says something for marketing or just to look good."

Kubica said after winning on Sunday that he hoped the BMW team will now throw its weight behind him to retain the lead in the drivers' championship.

But to El Pais, he played down the notion that he is now the de-facto "team leader".

"I don't think that is what I need to be," Kubica said. "All that matters is that I do my job well and try to improve every day.

"In the end, that's what counts; staying focused on your job of winning races."