Alonso showed his selfish side, says Hill

Alonso took pole with his last flying lap and after a pitlane delay that prevented championship-leading teammate Lewis Hamilton, fastest at that point, from bettering the Spaniard's time.

With Hamilton queued up behind him and the clock ticking, the double world champion did not move for around 10 seconds. When he did, it was too late for the Briton to get round and start another flying lap.

"It seemed like a tactical ploy from Alonso to make sure that he was the last person to get a lap in, to be out on the track at the very end, and that seemed to be at the cost of Lewis getting a lap in," said the 1996 champion.

"I think you have to say that Alonso's put his foot down and basically got what he wanted there.

"He certainly showed he's not prepared to play a team game if it's at his expense," the Briton told reporters. "I think it was a very selfish thing to do. But sometimes selfish guys win."

Alonso later denied deliberately blocking his teammate while McLaren blamed the surprisingly long hold-up on various issues, including the position of other cars on the track.

However Hamilton openly disagreed with his teammate and Hill, a guest commentator for Britain's ITV television, said the whole incident had only exposed the divisions within the Mercedes-powered team.

"They are going to have to work very hard to try and convince the world that there are not two camps in the McLaren team," he said.

Hill said Alonso was entitled to choose his moment to leave the pitlane but he did not have to block Hamilton.

"He could have gone down the pitlane a bit," said the 1996 champion. "He didn't have to sit there in the place where Lewis needed to get to to get his tyres.

"It very much looks like he was costing Lewis a chance to get a lap that may well have got pole position. That's what I feel he did."