Wearing a white helmet and plain overalls and driving an unbranded car, Fernando Alonso made his McLaren debut yesterday almost incognito.
Frantic negotiations the night before ended with a personal plea from Alonso to Flavio Briatore, the team principal at Renault, to be released from a contract that runs until the end of the year.
"Fernando asked me to test one day with his new team to acclimatize himself to the car," Briatore said. "We enjoy a very good relationship and considering his work and his fabulous achievements these past two years with the world titles in 2005 and 2006, we decided to give him this opportunity." Permission was conditional on the removal of all branding from the car and Alonso's person. All sponsor logos were taken off the MP4-21's bodywork and additional screens were erected at the front of the garage to keep out camera lenses.
Alonso completed 95 laps but could finish no higher than seventh in the time sheets. New team-mate Lewis Hamilton was quickest.
The Stig