McLaren, Alonso announce split

Woking, England (Sports Network) - Formula One star Fernando Alonso and Team McLaren have mutually decided to part company, despite two years remaining on the driver's contract.
Alonso, who won the F1 championship in 2005 and 2006 with Renault, joined McLaren for the 2007 season and finished tied for second in this year's driver standings. He won four races and had 14 top-five finishes in 17 starts, but a third-place result in the final race of the year left him one point behind champion Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari.
"Since I was a boy I had always wanted to drive for McLaren, but sometimes in life things do not work out," said Alonso in a statement. "I continue to believe that McLaren is a great team. Yes, we have had our ups and downs during the season, which has made it extra challenging for all of us, and it is not a secret that I never really felt at home."
There were reports during the season that Alonso believed McLaren was giving preferential treatment to teammate Lewis Hamilton, who also tied for second in the driver standings.
"I know there have been suggestions of favoritism within the team and people say a lot of things in the heat of battle, but in the end I was always provided with an equal opportunity to win. Today's decision allows all of us to focus on 2008."
McLaren said a decision to end the relationship was not discussed until after the season.
"He is a great driver but for some reason the combination of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and Fernando has not really worked out, and in the end we reached a stage where none of us could find a way to move forward," said McLaren team chairman Ron Dennis. "We all believe that our joint decision to part company is for the best, and we will now continue to focus on our 2008 World Championship challenge."
McLaren has not yet announced plans to find a replacement driver.