McLaren principal Ron Dennis believes the Formula One team and Fernando Alonso should have had the final say as to whether the Spaniard was allowed to race in Bahrain.
Alonso was prevented from taking to the track at this week's Bahrain Grand Prix by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) after his terrifying crash in Australia a fortnight ago left him with fractured ribs.
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The two time world champion failed to pass a medical test in Sakhir, despite being cleared by doctors in Spain before flying out for the second round of the F1 season.
"Two sets of doctors in Spain had cleared Fernando to drive and fly, so we were very surprised to get a different interpretation here," Dennis said.
"As we got through yesterday, Fernando was feeling aggrieved that he felt so good that he wanted to drive.
"So we approached the FIA and said if we had a new scan taken this morning and this scan supported the position of the doctors five days later, would they then permit him to drive?
"They said no, it doesn't matter what the scan showed, he wouldn't be permitted to drive."
Dennis added: "In virtually every team sport in the world the fitness of the athlete - the football player, the ice hockey player, the skier - is determined by the team.
"We don't need to have a system that's prescriptive. If you go to a doctor and they prescribe you medicine, that doesn't impose on you an obligation to take it, if the doctor says to go to bed, you're not under an obligation to go to bed for three days.
"There are lots of things where you seek advice but then you have freedom of choice. The question is, would Fernando have been a danger to other drivers?
"If you've got a cracked rib and you want to drive with it, it's your business. It all becomes subjective, and that's the bit I don't like."
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