By GMM

Team McLaren is in no hurry to name a replacement for Lewis Hamilton's departed 2007 teammate Fernando Alonso, team boss Ron Dennis has said.

The Woking based team's boss told the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo that McLaren is taking its time to finalise the 2008 driver line-up.

"We have not decided and we do not feel hurried," Dennis, who is 60, revealed.

The Spanish-language newspaper enquired as to whether McLaren's long time test driver Pedro de la Rosa, who was born and still lives in Barcelona, was among the front runners to occupy the second MP4-23 next season.

"Maybe," Dennis smiled. "There are many options, but I cannot give names. All I can say is that there is no rush.

"We are already working with Hamilton (for 2008) and once we have decided on his teammate then we will start to work with him as well."

Also in the interview, Ron Dennis revealed that he had considered retiring at the end of the tumultuous 2007 season, which delivered no titles for McLaren and a record penalty for espionage.

"This is a business that requires a lot of effort and concentration," he answered. "I have spent a lot of time away from my family. Yes, I have thought about retiring.

"But I am not the sort of person who throws in the towel in the face of adversity," Dennis added.