Alonso free to leave McLaren

Ron Dennis has signalled that Fernando Alonso is free to leave McLaren after this season if he is cannot live with the team’s commitment to treating both drivers equally.

Alonso is contracted to McLaren until the end of 2009, but after his increasingly tense relationship with team-mate Lewis Hamilton flared up in Hungary, he told the Spanish press that he was unsure whether he would see out the three years.

Alonso is understood to be unhappy that Hamilton has been given equal status in the team, when he had expectations of being the clear lead driver.

But Dennis remains adamant that McLaren’s commitment to parity between the two drivers is non-negotiable.

“We will continue to function as a grand prix team with specific values and if anybody does not want to be part of those values – irrespective of where they sit in the organisation – ultimately they will have a choice,” he said.

“But we will not deviate away from our values.”

Despite the tense atmosphere in the team, Dennis is hopeful that both Alonso and Hamilton will see out their multi-year contracts.

“We have two drivers who are contracted for several years into the future,” he said.

“We will respect our part of that bargain and that part of the situation.

“We hope that the drivers respect theirs because that's what a contract is about.”