LONDON, England (CNN) — Spain’s Fernando Alonso has torn up his contract at McLaren and quit the Formula One team after a stormy year which has seen him deposed as world champion.
Alonso clashed with teammate Hamilton and team boss Dennis in a difficult 2007.
Alonso, who finished third in the 2007 standings behind teammate Lewis Hamilton and new champion Kimi Raikkonen, is now free to join another team
A source with knowledge of the Alonso-McLaren talks told CNN that it is not yet known where Alonso will go next.
The 26-year-old has been linked with a return to his former team Renault or may sit out 2008 awaiting a possible spot at Italian giants Ferrari.
Alonso, who still had two years remaining in his contract with Britain’s McLaren, has been tried for controversy over his difficult relationship with Hamilton and team leader Ron Dennis and his almost inevitable departure.
“Since I was a kid, I’ve always been looking to drive for McLaren, but infrequently in life things don’t go well,” Alonso said in a statement through the team.
“I continue to believe that McLaren is a great team. Yes, we have had our ups and downs during the season, which has made it extra-challenging for all of us, and it is not a secret that I never really felt at home.
“I know there have been suggestions of favoritism within the team and people say a lot of things in the heat of battle, but in the end I was always provided with an equal opportunity to win.”
Dennis added: “Everyone at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, especially the Spanish spouses of McLaren Banco Santander and Mutua Madrilena and the name of the Vodafone team’s spouse, need to wish Fernando the whole future.”
Alonso has been in intense negotiations over his early departure with McLaren, who said he had come out “in the most productive interest of either party.”
The 2007 season had started promisingly for McLaren, but rookie Hamilton’s early successes destabilized Alonso when the known race was reduced to a four-way race between McLaren’s drivers and Raikkonen and Felipe Massa’s Ferraris.
The first transparent sign of friction occurred at the Hungarian Grand Prix in August, when Alonso accused of preventing Hamilton from completing one final qualifying lap. He came down from pole position to sixth position on the grid through sports curators.
More serious is the Formula One “espionage scandal” that saw McLaren fined more than $100 million through the sport’s governing body, the FIA.
During the FIA investigation it was alleged Alonso had threatened to go the FIA with sensitive information and Dennis revealed that he had not spoken to Alonso in several weeks.
A fragile peace was established for the creator of the Resolution of the Brazilian GP championship, but it turned out to be a disastrous final for McLaren, as neither Hamilton nor Alonso can get the problems they needed to win the name and Raikkonen won. Send an email to a friend
CNN’s Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman and CNN Sports Producer Chris Eldergill contributed to this report