But McLaren boss Ron Dennis echoed the views of the rest of the F1 team owners and drivers when he said that the incident could happen at any race and at any time.

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The British mobile-phone company has paid many millions of pounds so that the F1 team for which Mr Hamilton drives can be called Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.

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However, Dennis, who first took over as McLaren team principal in 1981, insisted at a news conference that the timing of his departure from F1 was "purely coincidental" and not linked to the team's upcoming FIA hearing.

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