Alonso refutes favouritism rumours

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On Friday, the Spaniard closed the book on a controversial chapter of his Formula One career by announcing his departure from McLaren.

The 26-year-old, who had two years left on his deal, said in a statement: "It is not a secret that I never really felt at home. I know there have been suggestions of favouritism within the team and people say a lot of things in the heat of battle, but in the end I was always provided with an equal opportunity to win."

He added: "Since I was a boy I had always wanted to drive for McLaren, but sometimes in life things do not work out."

The two-time world champion, who joined the team from Renault only a year ago, finished behind rookie team-mate Lewis Hamilton and third overall in the drivers' standings in 2007.

He will now set out to prove he is still the number one in the sport but with a different team.

Alonso's agent Luis Garcia-Abad claimed the divorce from McLaren had been smooth but did not shed any new light on the Spaniard's future.

"All ended well," he said.

Alonso, who has been linked with a return to Renault in recent months, will have no lack of offers with Toyota, Red Bull and Williams also reportedly keen to acquire his services for the 2008-09 season. Nico Rosberg of Williams and Renault's Heikki Kovalainen are among the favourites for Alonso's McLaren seat.

McLaren boss Ron Dennis also admitted the team and Alonso had not been able to resolve their differences, saying: "He is a great driver but for some reason the combination of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and Fernando has not really worked out, and in the end we reached a stage where none of us could find a way to move forward."