LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Formula One's governing body said on Monday it was investigating McLaren for a possible breach of the rules in Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.
"The FIA has launched an investigation into incidents involving the McLaren Mercedes team at the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix in light of a possible breach of the International Sporting Code," the International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement.
"The relevant evidence is under review and a further announcement will be made in due course."
Double world champion Fernando Alonso won the showcase race for the second year in a row, ahead of British rookie team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
The two are now level on 38 points but Spaniard Alonso leads the championship on race wins.
Hamilton revealed afterwards that he had been told to ease off rather than put pressure on Alonso and possibly jeopardise the one-two.
Team orders, effectively manipulating the outcome of a race, have been banned in Formula One since the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix where Ferrari ordered Brazilian Rubens Barrichello to let Michael Schumacher win.
However, McLaren team boss Ron Dennis denied any such manipulation on Sunday.
"We don't have team orders, we had a strategy to win this race," he said.
"I make no excuses for instructing the racing drivers to slow their pace after the first stop and to effect our strategy."
A FIA spokesman declined to say what possible sanction might be faced by the team, who lead Ferrari by 20 points in the championship after winning two of the season's five races so far.
"You can all give whatever twist or headline you want on it, my job is sometimes difficult and today was one of those times," Dennis added on Sunday.
"There will be places where they will be absolutely free to race, but this isn't one of them."
"This is a place where one driver pushing another driver... is the way to induce a mistake," he continued.
"Everyone in the pit lane would be saying what an idiot the team principal of McLaren is for allowing their cars to compete to a level where one of their cars and maybe two of them are in the barrier."
Hamilton had qualified with a far heavier fuel load than Alonso -- a tactical move that would have won him the race had the safety car come out and given an advantage to those able to make only one stop. In the end, the safety car stayed in.
Timely boost
The 22-year-old Hamilton celebrated his fifth podium in five races, but victory gave Spaniard Alonso a timely boost after being beaten by his team-mate in his last two races.
"It means a lot, psychologically and also for the championship battle," said Alonso after securing McLaren's 150th grand prix win and second one-two of the season.
"I enjoyed today and that's probably the best thing about today."
Despite winning two of the season's five races so far, the 25-year-old is facing his toughest team-mate yet in Hamilton.
Alonso has yet to gel fully with his new team after switching from Renault while Hamilton has been a McLaren protege for more than a decade.
There have been rumors of discord, speculation stamped on by team boss Ron Dennis at the weekend.
"Our personal relationship is absolutely perfect. We talk between races, we eat together, he comes to my home when he comes to England," Dennis told reporters.
"He is still going up a curve of getting to know people, to trust people and feel comfortable with everybody and that is not something Lewis has had to do.
"But Fernando is a wonderful chap. He is quiet, thoughtful, worries endlessly about everything, but just loves being in a racing car."
Alonso particularly enjoyed his second straight win at Monaco. "I never won with more than a minute to the third guy. For sure, this is the easiest and probably the nicest victory so far," he said.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
"The FIA has launched an investigation into incidents involving the McLaren Mercedes team at the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix in light of a possible breach of the International Sporting Code," the International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement.
"The relevant evidence is under review and a further announcement will be made in due course."
Double world champion Fernando Alonso won the showcase race for the second year in a row, ahead of British rookie team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
The two are now level on 38 points but Spaniard Alonso leads the championship on race wins.
Hamilton revealed afterwards that he had been told to ease off rather than put pressure on Alonso and possibly jeopardise the one-two.
Team orders, effectively manipulating the outcome of a race, have been banned in Formula One since the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix where Ferrari ordered Brazilian Rubens Barrichello to let Michael Schumacher win.
However, McLaren team boss Ron Dennis denied any such manipulation on Sunday.
"We don't have team orders, we had a strategy to win this race," he said.
"I make no excuses for instructing the racing drivers to slow their pace after the first stop and to effect our strategy."
A FIA spokesman declined to say what possible sanction might be faced by the team, who lead Ferrari by 20 points in the championship after winning two of the season's five races so far.
"You can all give whatever twist or headline you want on it, my job is sometimes difficult and today was one of those times," Dennis added on Sunday.
"There will be places where they will be absolutely free to race, but this isn't one of them."
"This is a place where one driver pushing another driver... is the way to induce a mistake," he continued.
"Everyone in the pit lane would be saying what an idiot the team principal of McLaren is for allowing their cars to compete to a level where one of their cars and maybe two of them are in the barrier."
Hamilton had qualified with a far heavier fuel load than Alonso -- a tactical move that would have won him the race had the safety car come out and given an advantage to those able to make only one stop. In the end, the safety car stayed in.
Timely boost
The 22-year-old Hamilton celebrated his fifth podium in five races, but victory gave Spaniard Alonso a timely boost after being beaten by his team-mate in his last two races.
"It means a lot, psychologically and also for the championship battle," said Alonso after securing McLaren's 150th grand prix win and second one-two of the season.
"I enjoyed today and that's probably the best thing about today."
Despite winning two of the season's five races so far, the 25-year-old is facing his toughest team-mate yet in Hamilton.
Alonso has yet to gel fully with his new team after switching from Renault while Hamilton has been a McLaren protege for more than a decade.
There have been rumors of discord, speculation stamped on by team boss Ron Dennis at the weekend.
"Our personal relationship is absolutely perfect. We talk between races, we eat together, he comes to my home when he comes to England," Dennis told reporters.
"He is still going up a curve of getting to know people, to trust people and feel comfortable with everybody and that is not something Lewis has had to do.
"But Fernando is a wonderful chap. He is quiet, thoughtful, worries endlessly about everything, but just loves being in a racing car."
Alonso particularly enjoyed his second straight win at Monaco. "I never won with more than a minute to the third guy. For sure, this is the easiest and probably the nicest victory so far," he said.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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