POINTS PENALTY

Renault, who failed to win a race this year, face potentially the same penalties as those imposed on McLaren earlier in the year.

Alonso, who has split with McLaren after just one season with the team, is widely believed to be awaiting the outcome before committing himself to a return to Renault.

If his former team are heavily penalised, then the Spaniard may switch his focus elsewhere with Renault-powered Red Bull seen as the most likely alternative despite having both Australian Mark Webber and Briton David Coulthard under contract.

The World Motor Sport Council is expected to reach a decision on Thursday before turning their attentions to McLaren's 2008 car.

The FIA said after punishing the team in September that they would investigate further to ensure that no Ferrari data appeared in next year's car.

FIA president Max Mosley has suggested that any further sanctions could take the form of a "negative points allocation" for McLaren at the start of next season.

However Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone distanced himself from such talk.

"What Max said after the last World Council Meeting...was that if they (the FIA) found anything on the (McLaren) car, they could be (penalised)," he told Reuters last week.

"But they have got to have found something in there for a start and then the World Council has got to agree it."

FIA inspectors have been to the McLaren headquarters at Woking, with Mosley saying they would be looking for design ideas that could be traced to Ferrari rather than just copied components.

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