Mat Coch writes:

McLaren Managing Director Jonathan Neale has laughed off reports suggesting the team's Chief Executive Martin Whitmarsh could be replaced in the wake of a disappointing start to the season.

After a difficult home Grand Prix Whitmarsh came under fire from some sections of the media who claimed the team is unhappy with his leadership in light of Red Bull's dominance, a view dismissed by Pitpass at the time. "I didn't take it very seriously," said Neale during the latest Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Phone-In. "We just looked at it internally, smiled and moved on."

Neale's response suggests the team remains united behind Whitmarsh who, alongside his role as team principal at McLaren, is also chairman of the Formula One Teams Association. Furthermore Neale was quick to point out that, rather than having a detrimental impact on his role within the team, Whitmarsh's position within FOTA is a positive for both the team and the sport.

"I don't see that FOTA business as a distraction, it's an essential part of managing the sport and Martin handles it very well," said Neale, "which is why they've asked him to do it this year as well as last year."

Neale went on to dismiss suggestions that the team has a succession plan in place in preparation for Whitmarsh's demise. "That's not something that we're either going to publish or that we need to have ready for a parachute in case there's a sudden exit," he explained. "Martin has done such a fantastic job for McLaren and for FOTA."

Speculation has also surrounded Lewis Hamilton's future with the team, with the 2008 world champion linked with a move to Red Bull after a less than subtle meeting with Christian Horner in Canada. Both Hamilton and teammate Jenson Button have claimed in recent weeks that the promotional workload the team expects of them is excessive, prompting Hamilton to suggest the team are in for a shock when it comes time to negotiate a new contract.

The bone of contention has been the amount of public relations work expected of the drivers as the team caters to the requests of its 'corporate partners'. "We recognise that drivers are human beings and there's finite capacity there, and we try and balance that out as best we can," explained Neale.

"In terms of the equivalency exactly the same thing is true on the circuit as it is behind the scenes," he continued. "We have two number one drivers, we pay good money for that, and we have two equal sets of obligations. Lewis and Jenson share their burden of responsibility on that equally.

"That's part of being at McLaren," Neale added before acknowledging that "there has to be some give and take in that."

As for the recent speculation, Neale believes it's simply a result of being competitive, coupled with a relatively poor result in the British Grand Prix. "I'm afraid it's just a part of the media circus and expectation," he suggested. "Of course in your home Grand Prix if you don't deliver, and we didn't, then you're going to expect a bit of come back on that."