Though he will participate in the official FIA press conference tomorrow, McLaren boss Ron Dennis used the ceremony at which he opened his team's new motor home today, to voice his frustration and sadness at recent events.

A new motor home, major sponsorship deals, his team leading the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships, not to mention the worldwide attention his home-grown protege is receiving - this should have been a time of joy and celebration for the Englishman. Instead, Dennis was fighting back tears, his voice choked with emotion.

"I live and breathe this team," he said, a masterpiece of understatement. "And there is no way anything incorrect would ever happen in our team.

After a brief pause, as he gained his composure, he continued: "It has been a difficult two or three days, especially for me, my personal integrity is very important to me and my company's integrity is even more important to me.

"We are in a process," he continued. "We are working closely with the FIA and Ferrari. This matter does not involve our company. Of course, that is not the way everybody sees it at the moment. Some of you have been very supportive of McLaren, I think some of you have been a little harsh. But I understand, depending which country you are in, and depending on the information you have available to you, that you are going to form opinions.

"But I am absolutely confident that with the passing of time you will see and the world will understand that McLaren's position is one that is reflected in our statements," he continued. "We have never, to my knowledge and certainly over the past few months, ever used other people's intellectual property. It is not on our car, I am sure the FIA will confirm that. That is the key message."

Tomorrow, at the official press conference, there will be more questions, and probably more tears. Dennis and his team should have come to Silverstone revelling in their success this season, instead there is a dark cloud hanging over the Woking outfit, and it's not the sort of cloud that F1 teams are used to.