SPIELBERG, Austria -- McLaren boss Ron Dennis laughed off suggestions that his men had been caught 'spying' on rivals Williams at the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix.

Digital television pictures showed two McLaren employees taking pictures of the front of the Williams when it was parked in the 'Parc Ferme' compound after qualifying.

"Did they have a team uniform on? Then they were hardly spying, were they," he replied on Saturday with a smile when reporters asked him about the incident.

"If you're out of uniform, you are a spy. If you are in uniform, you are gathering intelligence. We are doing nothing that everyone else doesn't do. Except that we at least are open about it."

Dennis said a change had been introduced in Austria to speed up scrutineering under which cars in Parc Ferme were no longer covered up. "Well, that's an opportunity and we're not going to miss it," he said.