Fernando Alonso's stormy year with McLaren came to a shuddering halt with the announcement that the Spaniard was tearing up his contract.

McLaren have formally lodged an appeal against the decision not to penalise three drivers in Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix because of fuel irregularities.

Ferrari and McLaren dominated practice Friday for the Japanese Grand Prix - the first to be held at Fuji Speedway in 30 years. Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa drove their Ferraris to the top of qualifying during early practice, only to be overtaken by feuding McLaren duo Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in the afternoon.

Late Thursday, McLaren was fined US$100 million (EUR 72 million) and kicked out of the constructors' championship in the F1 spy scandal - but its drivers escaped any punishment and can continue to chase the more prestigious Formula One drivers' title.

The FIA World Motor Sports Council was to expected to decide Thursday whether to sanction the McLaren team over the Formula One spy scandal.

Formula One leaders McLaren, already beset by a spying controversy, have been fined $US50,000 ($60,700) for using a gearbox that had not passed a crash test.

It was a Hungarian Grand Prix that brought vindication for Lewis Hamilton and headaches for his McLaren team. Hamilton rebounded from an increasingly tense relationship with teammate and world champion Fernando Alonso and his boss Ron Dennis to earn his third victory of the Formula One season.

Double world champion Fernando Alonso seized pole position from McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton at the final qualifying session at the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budepest on Saturday.

Fernando Alonso can overtake teammate Lewis Hamilton in the season standings while their McLaren team takes its off-circuit feud with Ferrari back onto the track for the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend.

The former Ferrari mechanic accused of providing the team's design secrets to Formula One rival McLaren says he was the victim of a set-up.

Lewis Hamilton is only 22 years old and is already making sports history as the first Black driver in Formula One racing, but in his rookie year he is also setting records that may take some time to beat.

Formula One's governing body cleared the McLaren team of any wrongdoing Wednesday in its 1-2 finish at the Monaco Grand Prix.