Dennis unimpressed by Alonso silence

Ron Dennis has expressed his disappointment at Fernando Alonso’s implication McLaren have favoured new boy Lewis Hamilton this season, as a thrilling 2007 Formula One season reaches its climax.

Hamilton will take a 12-point lead over the Spaniard in the drivers’ world championship into Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix after the 22-year-old escaped a possible points deduction having being cleared by stewards of any wrongdoing after an accident between Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Alonso crashed out in terrible conditions at the Fuji Speedway to hand his team-mate a decisive advantage with two rounds to go and Hamilton will become the first rookie to capture the prestigious title if he drops no more than one point to the defending champion.

But Alonso declined to comment when asked if he felt the Woking-based outfit had secretly tampered with his car over the course of what has been an intense championship duel.

And team principal Dennis felt the 26-year-old should have taken the opportunity to set the record straight.

“This is a straight fight and I’m obviously disappointed that someone who really has all the knowledge should not be more direct and open with the response which is: equality is how we run our team,” he said.

“Going into the Japanese Grand Prix, Fernando was two points behind Lewis.

“I think the grand prix season so far, in respect of our two cars, their reliability, their competitiveness and the way our team has conducted itself leaves nobody in Formula One with the view that we do anything other than provide equality to both of our drivers.

“There are numerous equality clauses in our contract. They are reciprocal in both drivers’ contracts and it is a well-known fact that we do not favour any driver – even in very difficult circumstances, even in the level of competitiveness that sits between our drivers.”

It has been a tumultuous season for the 60-year-old as, on top of coping with a disgruntled driver, the team were fined a record £49.2million and thrown out of the constructors’ championship for their role in the Ferrari spy scandal.

However, Dennis insisted if either one of his charges were to win the drivers’ world championship, it would not prove to be a tainted achievement.

“We know very clearly what happened, the transcript of the Formula One World Council made it very clear as to what the opinion of the World Council was,” he added.

“It related to specific things, some of which McLaren clearly appreciated took place.

“We feel today that our cars have always been 100% McLaren intellectual property and as such we feel that the drivers have been competing in completely eligible and competitive McLaren Mercedes.

“So I feel that as unsatisfactory as it is, yes, it is clean. Clearly not everybody holds with that point of view but that’s the way we feel about it.”

And Dennis is also hopeful relations between McLaren and Ferrari will improve in the future in the wake of a tough campaign for both.

“It’s been very difficult for both of our teams and I don’t think there has been any pleasure in the process for either of us,” he said.

“I have a firm view on the future, I don’t think any team feels bigger than F1, certainly McLaren doesn’t, and I’m trying to take all the right decisions.

“Only time will tell if relationships between the teams will strengthen or weaken. ”Time is a good healer of these matters but there has been no pleasure for McLaren, as you will appreciate.“