Dennis warns of new tech row

Dennis hinted at the launch of McLaren's new car in Barcelona last weekend that an unnamed rival team is developing an innovation which pushes the boundary of the regulations.

Teams are obliged to consult the FIA on any new systems on their cars to decide if they are legal, but Dennis has said this method still poses problems on how to interpret the rules. McLaren fell foul of the FIA when they developed an innovative braking system in 1997. The device, which was initially approved by the FIA's technical body, was then declared illegal by race stewards at the Brazilian GP in 1998 after protests from teams.

"The problem is that you can embark on a costly development process only to find opinion has changed," he said. "We are comfortable that everything on our car is completely consistent with the regulations, but we are not sure about other people. There is definitely a difference of opinion over one particular interpretation which will be presented as a technical innovation, but which we think sits outside what we believe is the correct interpretation of the rules."

Although Dennis refused to name which team he is talking about, it is widely known in F1 that Ferrari is developing several electronic and mechanical innovations for its new car.