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McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has urged Sir Frank Williams to bring Kimi Raikkonen back to Formula One. Williams has described as "a lot of supposition" suggestions Raikkonen will be driving for his team next season, although it has emerged talks have taken place with the Finn. Whitmarsh said: "I wouldn't ordinarily presume to advise Sir Frank on who he should sign, but I think it would be exciting if he did." The question for Williams is whether they can afford the 2007 world champion who, in his time at Ferrari before spending the last two years in rallying, was reported to be earning

Martin Whitmarsh has confirmed that a failed wheel rim caused Lewis Hamilton to crash on the penultimate lap of last weekend's Spanish grand prix. Shortly after the Briton's sudden tyre deflation, the McLaren team boss speculated that "debris" rather than an actual tyre problem probably caused the accident. Bridgestone's initial analysis was similar, but it did not stop some pundits from hinting that Hamilton's aggressive driving style might have been a contributing factor. But the damaged parts were returned to Woking for analysis on Monday, and Whitmarsh confirmed on Tuesday that a wheel rim failure looks the likely cause. "The rim failure is being investigated," he told reporters during a teleconference. "It could be debris related, it could be an issue of deflection, or it could be a lack of tightness in the wheel nut, which allowed some flexing. "What we know is the rim failed, probably human error somewhere in the process caused it, and that led to a deflation and the accident," Whitmarsh added. Source: GMM

The latest management reshuffle at McLaren has made team boss Martin Whitmarsh an even more powerful figure within the Woking based company. Ron Dennis is still chairman of both the McLaren Group and the newly separate road car division McLaren Automotive. But the British outfit revealed on Tuesday that 51-year-old Whitmarsh, already team principal of the Mercedes-powered F1 squad, has been appointed to two new roles. With immediate effect, he is to be CEO of the McLaren Group and deputy chairman of McLaren Automotive, after Sir Richard Lapthorne resigned his non-executive chairmanship of both companies. Whitmarsh is also a board member of the McLaren Group and McLaren Automotive.