Tuesday 12 August at 13:34 : McLaren will begin rotating staff members on its travelling race team next year due to the absence of the August break on the provisional 2009 calendar.

The sport is currently in the deliberate three-week gap between the Hungarian and European grands prix, which coincides with a summer test ban.

But even though the pause was designed to give respite on the ever-expanding F1 calendars of today, it will not appear in 2009, despite the addition of one more race next year.

McLaren boss Ron Dennis is a staunch supporter of a break he deems "essential" for travelling team members including mechanics.

"They don't get the right amount of time with their families and this gives them an opportunity to have at least one week where they are not at the office or workshops," he is quoted as saying by CNN.

"It's a key ingredient of keeping people motivated and happy when you are addressing the calendar, which makes next year's difficult for them.

"We will have to accommodate that by rotating people. They will not be expected to go right through the season," Dennis revealed.