Interest in Hamilton test surprises McLaren

Hamilton has been drafted in to run in an MP4-20 in Spain to help provide one of McLaren's sponsors with action shots for an advert. But the decision to use him has inevitably fuelled speculation about his chances of getting a race seat at the team in 2007.

With news of the test, first revealed by autosport.com and leading to a mass of interest from the media, McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh has admitted that perhaps the team should have got someone else in alongside Jamie Green for the test.

"There is a film crew there and a desire to have a driver and a spare driver," said Whitmarsh. "Those are the two young drivers that we have available to us.

"We could nominate someone else, but why bring someone else into the team? They are part of the team, they are involved in the technical programme and from time to time will drive the car in a straight line, but this isn't a performance or a technical test.

"And frankly, if we would have known it would create this level of interest, then we would probably have used someone else. But to me it is a non-event. It is an opportunity to drive the car for the purposes of an advert."