Menace for Dennis as McLaren chief faces flak over Alonso revelation

You might be elated. But try telling that to Ron Dennis, who had heartbreak etched on his face yesterday.

Tongues wagged here ahead of tomorrow's controversy-riddled Italian Grand Prix, though not at the top of McLaren.

There, Dennis took his legal team's advice not to comment publicly about the spying row.

But, in a private briefing, his emotions were laid bare.

Having shed tears over the damage to his and the team's integrity in an earlier instalment of this imbroglio at Silverstone, he managed to keep the waterworks under control here. Just.

He clearly believes he is the victim of a witch-hunt as Ferrari and the FIA — seen by some as brothers in arms — tighten the noose ahead of Thursday's World Motor Sport Council hearing in Paris.

Nor can he be anything but apoplectic that Fernando Alonso, his unsettled double world champion, contributed to the evidencegathering procedure by disclosing that he and test driver Pedro de la Rosa received emails supplying information garnered illicitly from Ferrari by McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan.

Alonso's involvement, importantly, was not denied by the team yesterday. In a brief statement, however, they said they 'intend to make a strong set of submissions' to the 25 council members who will sit in judgment.

Where does this sorry mess leave McLaren? It seems impossible for Alonso to remain at the team, especially if, as some rumours suggest, he somehow blew the whistle on the damning email evidence which prompted the FIA to write to all 11 team principals and the three McLaren drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, to ask for their observations on the record.

Renault, who have yet to unveil their driver line-up for next season, are hotly tipped to grant Alonso sanctuary from the infighting.

Their boss Flavio Briatore is still smarting from the loss of face suffered when Dennis took the Spaniard from him and is desperate to settle the score.

Indeed, given Alonso's pivotal role in the saga, the most surprising facet of the weekend is that he will race tomorrow.

As for McLaren's fate next week, it is unlikely that the council would fly in from around the world to sit for a second time if the new evidence was not significant.

Having let the team escape without punishment in the original sitting on July 26, they would surely not open themselves to ridicule by issuing just another slap on the wrist.

The FIA must believe the emails point to the fact that Coughlan's information — supplied by Ferrari's former top mechanic Nigel Stepney — did help McLaren's performance, a point not originally proven.

The upshot could theoretically end Hamilton's drive for the title.

However, the likelihood of a weighty fine and McLaren being penalised or expelled from the constructors' championship is far stronger.

FIA president Max Mosley has stated that only in 'exceptional circumstances' would a punishment meted out to a team not be imposed on a driver as well. Yesterday, such an instance arose.

The FIA "in the interests of complete transparency" published the letter Mosley wrote to Hamilton, Alonso and de la Rosa last Friday.

The telling sentence said: "I can confirm, given the importance of any such information you make available in response to this letter will not result in proceedings against you."

The amnesty means the chance of Hamilton becoming the first rookie title holder should remain unaffected going into the four races remaining post-Italy.

The Briton remains serenely focused on his task. "I wouldn't say mental focus is an easy thing," he said. "It is just something that I've built up over the years. I've learned from my dad those small experiences that you have.

"It could be playing golf, playing PlayStation with my brother, if you are getting beaten at something, learning to control yourself and rise above it and come back stronger. That has always been something my dad has forced upon me, so I think with his help I have grown to be quite strong.

"It is going to be extremely tough as it has all year but the key for me is to try to fine-tune all the rough edges. The world title is on."

The McLarens and Ferraris were evenly matched in practice. Alonso was fastest of the day with the Scuderia duo of Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa separating him from his team-mate Hamilton.