McLaren denies using team orders

McLaren boss Ron Dennis has denied allegations that McLaren used team orders in the British Grand Prix, a subject raised by Michael Schumacher. Team orders were outlawed by the governing body, the FIA, at the end of last year

Schumacher alluded to the way David Coulthard moved over for Kimi Raikkonen early in the Silverstone race and said that while he had no problem with it, he was sure that Ferrari doing the same thing would have raised much greater discussion.

"There were no team orders during Silverstone," Dennis said. "It's very simple; the drivers were on different strategies - Kimi at the point at which he came up behind David was on new tyres. David was told that Kimi was on new tyres - they were on different strategies - and David let him pass. Which is what team-mates do.

"There was no instruction at all from the pit wall and there was no pre-race discussion which would constitute an instruction. At the end of the day, these guys are team-mates. Kimi is in a better position to win the world championship, they were on different strategies and that is all that took place."