Fernando Alonso will stay at McLaren next year, his manager Luis Garcia has claimed.
He told the BBC that the reigning world champion is not negotiating with any other team.
"We have an agreement. We are not negotiating with anybody and our plan is to continue here."
Alonso is almost a year into his three year contract with McLaren but has a strained relationship with the team, compounded by the fact that his rookie team-mate Lewis Hamilton leads him by three points at the head of the drivers' championship table.
British newspapers have claimed that Alonso threatened to tell the FIA about his e-mails with test driver Pedro de La Rosa about leaked Ferrari information if he was not given No1 driver status at McLaren.
Team CEO Ron Dennis refused and Dennis revealed yesterday that he was actually the one who tipped the FIA about the correspondence. They show that the champion himself knew about the illegal possession of the Ferrari information.
The FIA verdict against McLaren is said to have given Alonso a way out of his contract with McLaren. A return to Renault would appear to be his logical option and Renault manager Flavio Briatore hassaid he would welcome him back. Renault bosses have not been enthusiastic about his salary though (unless a sponsor like Telefonica chips in).
On Friday Briatore again refused to be drawn into disclosing his team's driver line-up for next year.
Meanwhile Dennis has said that no talks are being held about any drivers leaving McLaren, and should anything happen, that would be by mutual agreement.
"We have contracts with both of our drivers, multi-year contracts, and there has been no discussion about varying them. We have two of the best drivers in the world, and our commitment to winning races is undiminished. That's what we exist to do, is to win races. If there is any variation to those contracts, it will be by mutual agreements."
Much clearly hinges on the outcome of the last few races. Should Alonso retain his crown, McLaren would clearly be reluctant to let him go (can they stop him?). Should Lewis Hamilton take the championship, it might perhaps be convenient for McLaren to let the Spaniard go. He is one of the highest paid drivers on the grid and the team is looking for the money to settle the huge fine imposed on it by the FIA. His departure could also mean an end to tensions with the team.
But would major McLaren sponsors like Vodafone, Santander and Mutua Madrilena take kindly to losing such a key marketing tool in Spain?
He told the BBC that the reigning world champion is not negotiating with any other team.
"We have an agreement. We are not negotiating with anybody and our plan is to continue here."
Alonso is almost a year into his three year contract with McLaren but has a strained relationship with the team, compounded by the fact that his rookie team-mate Lewis Hamilton leads him by three points at the head of the drivers' championship table.
British newspapers have claimed that Alonso threatened to tell the FIA about his e-mails with test driver Pedro de La Rosa about leaked Ferrari information if he was not given No1 driver status at McLaren.
Team CEO Ron Dennis refused and Dennis revealed yesterday that he was actually the one who tipped the FIA about the correspondence. They show that the champion himself knew about the illegal possession of the Ferrari information.
The FIA verdict against McLaren is said to have given Alonso a way out of his contract with McLaren. A return to Renault would appear to be his logical option and Renault manager Flavio Briatore hassaid he would welcome him back. Renault bosses have not been enthusiastic about his salary though (unless a sponsor like Telefonica chips in).
On Friday Briatore again refused to be drawn into disclosing his team's driver line-up for next year.
Meanwhile Dennis has said that no talks are being held about any drivers leaving McLaren, and should anything happen, that would be by mutual agreement.
"We have contracts with both of our drivers, multi-year contracts, and there has been no discussion about varying them. We have two of the best drivers in the world, and our commitment to winning races is undiminished. That's what we exist to do, is to win races. If there is any variation to those contracts, it will be by mutual agreements."
Much clearly hinges on the outcome of the last few races. Should Alonso retain his crown, McLaren would clearly be reluctant to let him go (can they stop him?). Should Lewis Hamilton take the championship, it might perhaps be convenient for McLaren to let the Spaniard go. He is one of the highest paid drivers on the grid and the team is looking for the money to settle the huge fine imposed on it by the FIA. His departure could also mean an end to tensions with the team.
But would major McLaren sponsors like Vodafone, Santander and Mutua Madrilena take kindly to losing such a key marketing tool in Spain?