Grapevine: McLaren invite neighbours over

With McLaren having been relegated to the bottom end of the pitlane, the Woking-based team used the first European race to invite members from the two outfits that line up next to them over for a bit of a get together.

Around 40 people duly turned up for tea and cakes at McLaren's Brand Centre, including Anthony Davidson, Giancarlo Fisichella, Mike Gascoyne, Ian Phillips and a number of engineers, mechanics and marketing people from both teams.

Matt Bishop, McLaren's group head of Communications and Public Relations, said: "The lads and lasses of Super Aguri and Force India are a great bunch, so we thought we'd invite them round for a cup of tea and a few slices of cake. About 20 people from each team turned up, and the vibe was really friendly."

Super Aguri's Davidson said he had been left wide-eyed by the size of the Brand Centre - and the drinks on offer.

"It was the first time I'd been inside the famous 'Brand Centre', and I was very impressed," he said. "And the apple juice was delicious - I gather it's produced to Ron Dennis's personal specification."