Oct.22 (GMM) After losing the drivers' title at the final hurdle, McLaren boss Ron Dennis hit out at the rise of internet media.

The website of Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport slammed the attack as "another excuse" from the defeated British chief.

"Blame it on the web", Gazzetta mocked Dennis as having said.

McLaren has endured a scandalous season of internal rivalry and the espionage affair, and Dennis is quoted as saying: "The internet is an unregulated source of information that is a nuisance. I have said it before and will continue to say it.

"I am not a critic of the media, but it is a difficult situation when you spend so much time refuting falsehoods and correcting inaccuracies.

"It has added to the pressure on our team, even if the (gearbox) problem in Sao Paulo has nothing to do with it.

"I think the team has coped well throughout the year."