Although some F1 insiders find it hard to believe that Flavio Briatore was unaware of Fernando Alonso's negotiations with Ron Dennis, which culminated in the Spaniard reaching a shock agreement to join McLaren in 2007, F1 supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, has given the Italian his support.

The news of Alonso's move to McLaren shocked the F1 paddock for a number of reasons, not least because it wasn't previously thought possible that such negotiations could be kept secret.

However, what has really got people talking is the fact that in addition to being the Renault boss, Briatore is also Alonso's manager, which, according to those who believe that there was always a conflict of interest, means that the Italian must surely have been aware of his client's discussions with the Woking team.

Aware of the whispers, Briatore issued a personal statement on Tuesday, claiming that Alonso contacted McLaren at his own instigation, and that he (Briatore) was not involved in the negotiations, either "directly or indirectly".

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Ecclestone supports Briatore's claim.

"In this case Alonso dealt with Dennis, avoiding Briatore," said the Englishman. "I know what happened, but I can't tell the details.

"In this case, a rare case," he added, "Briatore was left out of the game, prevented from intervening, because Alonso didn't want to stay at Renault."