McLaren boss Ron Dennis has suggested that Fernando Alonso is unhappy with the lack of in-season testing.

The team have struggled for performance and reliability since teaming up with engine supplier Honda last winter, but Dennis believes that the lack of testing is harming McLaren's chances to move up the Formula 1 grid.

He is quoted by F1i as saying: "I think Fernando shares my frustration, which is not being able to test when you are not competitive. It is such a huge handicap. It is much more difficult to improve both the performance of the engine and the performance of the car.

"It actually doesn't save money as we have to bring developments to the cars in quantities without proving it out. We don't always get it right, and when we don't get it right, we waste money. So it is a false economy.

"It is more about hampering the performance of the larger teams than it is about really saving money: it doesn't save anybody money but the smaller teams. That isn't what F1 is about. F1 is about competition, not about handicapping. And perversely the biggest handicap in F1 is no testing."

McLaren are currently ninth in the constructors' standings.