McLaren glum after title hopes drain away

McLaren boss Ron Dennis cursed his team's bad luck after Renault beat them to the Formula One constructors' title.

Juan Pablo Montoya retired on lap 25 after damaging his car, effectively ending McLaren's hopes.

Champion Fernando Alonso won the season-ending Chinese GP with McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen second to give Renault the drivers' and constructors' double.

"It was a manhole that's caught us and ruined us," shrugged Dennis.

"It's as simple as that.

"You think about it, three cars nose-to-tail and we get it. It's just so unfortunate."

The safety car came out after Montoya hit the manhole cover, handing the initiative to the Renaults, who were on lighter loads and promptly ducked into the pits to refuel.

"Not only was our car damaged but also the deployment of the safety car gave the Renaults the ability to refuel and not be penalised for their light fuel loads," said Dennis.

"That's life. You've got to just roll with the punches."

Renault finished the 19-race season with 191 points to McLaren's 182 but Dennis was philosophical about how the season had gone.

"You don't win or lose championships on one race," he said.

"We still strongly feel our championship efforts were thwarted by our conservative approach to the first four grands prix.

"But that's of course the benefit of hindsight. If we all had that we'd have happier lives."

Despite failing in their bid for a ninth constructors' championship Dennis took solace in McLaren's record of 10 race wins to Renault's eight.

"I think it's 19 podiums... 10 race wins," he smiled.

"It's hardly a disaster."

¤ Four-times world champion and former team boss Alain Prost has hit out at the way Formula One is managed, saying the rules are constantly changing. "The real problem of Formula One is that it is in a permanent state of conflict," the Frenchman said. "The rules are always changing. What really upsets me is the 10-place penalty for an unscheduled engine change. It is against the spirit of sport." Prost, 50, won three world titles in 1985, 1986 and 1989 with McLaren and another with Williams in 1993.