OTHER SPORT

MCLAREN HIT BY CONSTRUCTORS' BAN

Ron Dennis will be addressing the fine shortly

Thursday September 13,2007

By Polly Buchanan for express.co.uk

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THE McLaren racing team have been stripped of their points in the 2007 Formula One championship, after being accused of spying on rival team Ferrari and stealing their ideas.

Although drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso have been allowed to keep their points, the World Motor Sport Council have slammed McLaren with a $100m (£49.2m) fine.

The disgraced team must also prove their cars contain none of Ferrari's 'intellectual property' before they will be allowed to race next year.

Following a 10-hour meeting at the FIA headquarters in Paris a statement read: “The WMSC have stripped Vodafone McLaren Mercedes of all constructor points in the 2007 FIA Formula One world championship and the team can score no points for the remainder of the season.

“Furthermore, the team will pay a fine equal to US100million, less the FOM (Formula One Management) income lost as a result of the points deduction.

“However, due to the exceptional circumstances in which the FIA gave the team’s drivers an immunity in return for providing evidence, there is no penalty in regard to drivers’ points.

“The WMSC will receive a full technical report on the 2008 McLaren car and will take a decision at the December 2007 meeting after what sanction, if any, will be imposed on the team for the 2008 season.”

McLaren were found guilty at an initial hearing on July 26, although no penalty was imposed due to what the council described as “insufficient evidence”.

Suspended chief designer Mike Coughlan was found to be in possession of 780 pages of Ferrari technical information, stored on computer disks at his home.

However, at that stage there was no evidence to suggest the dossier had been used with regard to this year’s McLaren car.

McLaren also pointed out Coughlan was a rogue employee working to further his career ambitions in conjunction with Nigel Stepney, sacked as Ferrari’s head of performance development.

But since the July hearing other evidence materialised resulting in today’s meeting, at the end of which the council severely penalised McLaren.

It remains to be seen whether the team will appeal given this case has already dragged on for three months.

MCLAREN MERCEDES

14.09.07, 10:40am

McLaren Mercedes should have immediately withdrawn from the 2007 F1, that would see the end of the FIA and the beginning of a brighter future for F1. They should have at least had the determination to threaten to withdraw unless the FIA with held its decisions until the end of an appeal. What will the FIA do if McLaren Mercedes win the appeal?

No team, sponsors, drivers and fans should be pinished for the possible misdoings of a few.

• Posted by: dick21 • Report Comment