Ron Dennis has claimed that McLaren have yet to strike any deals with drivers for next season, despite speculation regarding Fernando Alonso's future in Formula 1.

Confirmation of Sebastian Vettel's departure from Red Bull and links to a seat with Ferrari has done little to quell rumours linking Alonso with a return to the Woking-based team, which will be running Honda engines from 2015.

However, Dennis has distanced McLaren from any gossip and has hinted that McLaren may bide their time before making an announcement.

He told reporters: "Of course we talk, of course we do all the things that you would have expect us to do, but at this moment in time we have not go contracts that we have activated, because clearly we have driver contracts at the moment.

"So it's not a great position to be in if you're either Jenson [Button] or Kevin [Magnussen], but the reality is they understand – as challenging as it is for them – our priority is to produce a winning car which they can win with.

"We don't have a contract for any driver in respect of next year, and that's a simple, factual statement. The first thing we've got to be is massively attractive to all drivers and I hope we're still very attractive to the two who are currently and more than likely will be driving the cars next year."

Jenson Button joined McLaren after winning the 2009 world title with Brawn, while Magnussen is racing in his first year in F1 after replacing Sergio Perez last winter.