FIA to Monitor Hamilton and Alonso in Brazil

McLaren will be monitored by the sport's ruling body to ensure that Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are treated equally at the Brazilian grand prix in nine days' time. The FIA will use an independent scrutineer over the three days of practice and racing at Sao Paulo's Interlagos circuit, where Hamilton could be the first driver to win the world title in his first season. He is four points ahead of Alonso and seven ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.

Alonso was furious after qualifying fourth in China last weekend when Hamilton was on pole. After throwing his helmet at the garage wall he punched a door off its hinges in the team office, then hinted to the Spanish press that his car's tyre pressures might have been incorrectly set.

"The FIA will have a steward making sure that nothing wrong happens to Fernando, especially in qualifying, which is where there have been more complaints or strange situations in the last few grands prix," said Carlos García, head of the Spanish motor sport federation. "On October 3 I had a meeting with [the FIA president] Max Mosley . . . and he reassured me."

McLaren sources said last night that they had no official knowledge of the FIA plan: "We have not been informed about this by the FIA. However, if a decision is made by the FIA . . . we have nothing to hide."

McLaren's chairman, Ron Dennis, said: "This has been a tremendous season, to which the McLaren-Mercedes team and our drivers have, I believe, contributed a great deal. This contribution has been enhanced by allowing Fernando and Lewis to race each other with complete equality. This will, of course, continue in Brazil, where the entire team will be doing its absolute best to win the drivers' world championship."