Whitmarsh wants to keep job amid McLaren crisis

Martin Whitmarsh has admitted that McLaren’s current situation has raised questions about his future at the helm of the British team.

McLaren was the most notably affected by the exhaust blowing clampdown at Silverstone, where on Sunday Jenson Button retired with a loose wheel before Lewis Hamilton had to slow down because his sister car was running out of fuel.

They were the latest in a series of mistakes for one of the most successful and best funded teams, whilst former boss and perfectionist Ron Dennis has been lifting his profile at several grands prix recently.

"I am confident that I will stay in my job," Whitmarsh said late on Sunday.

"I answer to the board, not just Ron, and they seem happy with the job I’m doing — for now, anyway."

He admitted however that his relationship with Dennis, McLaren’s executive chairman and shareholder who stepped down as team boss in the wake of the hugely damaging spygate saga, is "interesting".

"We have ups and downs but I think our relationship is strong at the moment. I am firm about where I draw the line in terms of what my responsibilities are and what his are with regard to the F1 team," he said.