McLaren boss Ron Dennis is fully expecting Fernando Alonso to see out his contract with McLaren - but he will not stand in the way of the reigning double world champion should he choose to quit.
Alonso's future with McLaren is seemingly hanging by a thread in the wake of an explosive weekend for the Woking-based team.
The 26-year-old's relationship with Dennis appears at rock bottom, while Lewis Hamilton revealed after his victory at Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix that Alonso was not speaking to him.
That followed a bitter disagreement following qualifying in which Alonso was deemed to have deliberately impeded Hamilton in the pit lane, costing the 22-year-old Briton a crack at pole.
Alonso was demoted from top spot to sixth on the grid, ruining his chances of a win that Hamilton ultimately grabbed to extend his lead in the world championship to seven points over his team-mate.
The question now is, what next for Alonso?
The number one status he believed would be his as world champion has not been forthcoming because of Dennis's insistence on equality between his two drivers.
That has long been an essential component of Dennis's thinking, and he will not change because as he points out "a team is not just a word - it's a way of life".
So for anyone within the team - including Alonso - who does not toe the line, then they have the option of walking away.
"We have built the team and company on parity," insisted Dennis.
"There are many teams who share that value, but do not have either a competitive racing car or two competitive racing drivers.
"When you get a combination of those two values you are definitely going to have a hard time.
"But if you go down an alternative route you end up with a team that has only one car and one driver and you inevitably have to have a very declared interest in one particular driver.
"I don't think that's the way to go about winning world titles.
"So we will continue to function as a team with specific values, and if anybody does not want to be part of those values - irrespective of where they sit in the organisation - ultimately they all have a choice.
"But we will not deviate away from our values."
Obviously, Dennis is looking for Alonso to honour a deal he first agreed in December 2005 - in between his two title-winning years with Renault.
However, the rumour-mill is rife with suggestions Alonso will quit at the end of this season given his unhappiness, with a return to Renault on the cards, or a switch to BMW Sauber.
"There is an inevitability that these things are rumoured and discussed in other teams," assessed Dennis.
"We have two drivers who are contracted for several years into the future.
"We will respect our part of that bargain and we hope the drivers respect theirs because that's what a contract is about.
"That is our position, a challenging situation to manage, and I fully recognise that.
"But that goes with my job. I have to take any decisions that are in the interests of the team.
"But at the moment, we are most definitely going to maintain a very firm commitment to our principle of equality."
Whether bridges can be repaired between now and the next race in Turkey in three weeks' time, and with the Court of Appeal 'spy' hearing still in the foreground, remains to be seen.
As Dennis concedes he is going through an "extremely challenging" time, one that is "emotional, stressful," while he also admits at present there are "some difficult pressures in the team."
But he added: "We're a close-knit family with some difficult times behind us and some difficult times ahead of us.
"We will stay together and stay true to our values.
"Between now and the next grand prix we will definitely try and put some calmness in the team, and arrive in Turkey in a more tranquil environment than we experienced this weekend."
E-mail Article 
Print-Friendly
Subscribe to RSS Feed 
Post to del.icio.us
Facebook
