Formula One champions Renault dismissed as 'nonsensical' on Thursday a report suggesting they considered allowing Fernando Alonso to join McLaren midway through last season.

Britain's Autosport magazine, citing 'sources extremely close to the negotiations', reported that McLaren and Renault came within hours of agreeing a mid-season 'super swap' that would have seen the world champion trade places with Kimi Raikkonen from the German Grand Prix in July.

It said both would have continued to score points for the drivers' championship, although Alonso's chances of winning a second title would have been compromised by moving to a less competitive car.

Mercedes-powered McLaren ended the season without a race victory for the first time in a decade while Alonso won seven times for Renault.

Alonso, who signed a deal last December that takes him to McLaren next year, won his second title after a battle with Ferrari's Michael Schumacher that went down to the final race in Brazil last month.

Raikkonen was confirmed in September as Schumacher's replacement at Ferrari, with that deal believed to have been agreed even before the season started.

Autosport said it had been told that Alonso, who was 25 points clear of Schumacher after the Canadian Grand Prix in June, had reached a low point in his relationship with Renault team boss Flavio Briatore and wanted to be released early.

"Renault have dismissed the rumours as nonsensical," said a team spokesman.