spy row

In the wake of the 'misleading' information scandal engulfing McLaren-Mercedes in Malaysia this weekend, Martin Whitmarsh has refused to rule out resigning from his role of team principal at the Woking-based outfit - a position he has held for barely a month.

Nigel Stepney and Mike Coughlan - the two men who came close to bringing Formula 1 to its knees with the well-publicised espionage row of 2007 - have been pronounced free to return to the top flight by FIA President Max Mosley.

Fernando Alonso has claimed that his Formula 1 World Championship chances in 2008 are no worse at Renault than they would have been had he remained at McLaren-Mercedes for a second season - suggesting that the Woking-based outfit is entirely Lewis Hamilton-centric.

The very public Formula 1 spy row that engulfed the sport in 2007 has finally come to a close, with McLaren announcing that they will pay the legal costs of arch-rivals Ferrari after the matter was settled in front of the FIA World Motor Sport Council last September.

Bernie Ecclestone has said Lewis Hamilton's growing - if controversial - 'playboy' image is doling wonders for the popularity of Formula 1, and has called on his McLaren-Mercedes team to let the young Briton 'off the leash' more often.

Ron Dennis may have paid the highest price yet for the spying controversy that engulfed his McLaren team last year - by being demoted from his position as team principal.