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F1: 2007


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1. Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren-Mercedes 1hr 18min 37.806secs

2. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes +6.062 seconds

3. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari +27.325

Link: BBC: Italian Grand Prix 2007

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Hamilton and Alonso celebrate their one-two on the Monza podium

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McLaren out of Constructors, but drivers safe

McLaren have been booted out of this year's Constructors' Championship, however, their drivers are free to race for the World title.

That was the verdict handed down by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council following today's Stepneygate hearing in Paris.

McLaren were called to appear before the WMSC for the second time after new evidence came to light, suggesting that McLaren had made use of the Ferrari documents they were previously found guilty of being in possession of.

After hours of deliberation, the WMSC ruled that McLaren were to be stripped off their 2007 Constructors' Championship points as well as fined $100m - a record amount in F1.

The final part of the ruling is that the team's 2008 cars will be subject to examinations before racing next season.

However, on the upside, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso will face no points-penalties and will be allowed to fight for this year's Drivers' Championship title.

Hamilton is leading the battle on 92 points, three ahead of Alonso.

http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954,3213_2726904,00.html

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This whole thing is so full of double standards one does not know where to start. If the FIA are saying by imposing this penalty that McLaren did use this information to improve their car, then why haven't the drivers, who presumably would benefit most from this, been penalised? But if they cannot prove that this is the case, then why on Earth have McLaren been punished in such an extreme manner?

I am absolutely convinced that if the roles were reversed in this, there is no way that the FIA would have imposed a similar penalty on Ferrari. And just consider this - in 2004, the FIA took no action when Ferrari personnel passed similar information to Toyota. This just reeks of Ferrari being bigger than the sport and it's disgusting. I almost don't care which McLaren driver wins the title now, as long as they stick two fingers up to Ferrari.

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Fantastic season on the track. Complete f*ck up of a season off of it. Shame because Hamilton's really been a star and if he wins the title in his rookie season (something nobody has ever done before) it will, rightly or wrongly, always be questioned by some.

However, his ability and credendials shouldn't be questioned because of this incident. Remember that, whether his car was built using stolen information or not, he has so far outpaced a double world champion in the same car.

I feel sorry for the drivers (including the Ferrari ones who surely wouldn't have wanted to win the contructors title in this way). The sport needs to sort itself out because I'm very close to giving up on it altogether.

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:unsure: Fudge!!! US$100,000,000 fine (gosh doesn't it look big written out like that!). Bruce McLaren must be rolling over in his grave!! IT IS unusuall that the drivers points have been retained, this just shows what F1 is becomming...Over monied and over exposed!
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I don't understand the verdict. Only the constructor gets a point-penalty ? Why not the drivers too? I think Alonso and Hamilton should get point-penalties too.

This is exactly the point, Goethe. This afternoon the FIA have published material which, they claim, proves McLaren used this data on their car. I have only read one or two media reports on it thus far and have not had time to study the material in detail. Hopefully, I will have sufficient time to do so this weekend. But the reports I have read so far do not, in my mind, suggest that there is explicit proof, a smoking gun if you like, to show that parts of McLaren's 2007 car were developed as a direct result of this data.

What I believe the FIA have tried to do is fudge it and they have failed. They don't want to be seen to decide the World Championship in a courtroom, which is what they effectively would have done had they removed Alonso and Hamilton from the equation, so they haven't penalised them. But, if McLaren have used this information, how can you be seen to hammer the team and let the drivers walk away unscathed? It's a total farce.

And on the other side of that, if there is no clear proof that McLaren did use this data on their car, and I remain to be convinced that there is, then the penalty is a total travesty of justice. So, at best, the FIA have been gutless and, at worst, they have hammered a team for no reason whatsoever.

What really galls me the most in this, though, is the fact that the one team who are going to benefit from this the most, assuming the penalties stand, is the one team who has done more than any other over recent years to besmirch and destroy the reputation of Formula 1 motor racing and that makes me sick.

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I have now had an opportunity to read the FIA's ruling in some detail and I suggest those who are interested in it also do so. The link is here:

McLaren ruling

My take on it is as follows. The new evidence which was submitted to yesterday's hearing, and is summarised in the ruling, contained much in the way of speculation, suggestion and innuendo. What it did not contain, however, is hard proof that McLaren physically used the information that certain individuals in their payroll were receiving to enhance their own car.

Surely this is the central question. Did McLaren use it or didn't they? The fact that the Council itself admits in paragraph 5.3 that they have no evidence that any Ferrari design was substantially or wholly incorporated into the McLaren car is central to this point. For all the bluster and the suggestion, there is no substantive proof that McLaren actually used this material. There is no smoking gun.

On several occasions, the ruling talks of "intent" to test out information, but tests not being carried out. This, to my mind, is fundamental to the case. They did not test the information, so they cannot logically then be deemed to have used the information. But since when did reason and logic come into this?

The only thing that McLaren are guilty of, as far as I can see, is misleading people about who had what information and when. But that does not justify such a draconian punishment as this, particularly in the context of repeated misdemeanours in recent years by a Ferrari team that has done nothing to enhance the reputation of the sport it clearly believes it is bigger than.

Frankly, I don't know if I'll bother wasting my time watching the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend.

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And I'm even less inclined to when I see the arrogance of Max Mosley.

McLaren fine not enough - Mosley

What sort of prats does he take us for? When he starts talking about polluting the Championship and all this crap, in the clear absence of hard proof, he should look at himself before he starts criticising other people. He is the man who has presided over total inaction when Ferrari have transgressed and embarrassed Formula 1 over and over again. The man has proved over the last few days that he is totally unfit to hold the position he holds.

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If it matters now, here are the results from the latest GP in Belgium.

1. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 1 min 20:39.066 secs

2. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari +00:04.695

3. Fernando Alonso (Spain) McLaren 00:14.343

Link: BBC: Belgian Grand Prix

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Victory gave Raikkonen his third straight success at Spa

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Alonso held off some early aggression from Hamilton in Spa

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Can anyone tell me how the FIA (Ferrari International Assistance) got hold of the emails between de la Rosa and Alonso? Did McClaren or the drivers hand them over? I heard something about Italian Terror Police intercepting something - so what was that? The whole case is very worrying indeed... Honda have been cleared of any wrong doing, but I think there is more to their invovlement than meets the eye as several of the people involved were looking at employment at Honda! I think this sport has just shot itself in the foot yet again and there is probably no way back from this.. :(

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C'mon!! The emails between De la Rosa and Alonso don't prove anything, they were written months before the spy-thing!! And De la Rosa said on Sunday on TV that only in 2 emails (he gave the FIA a lot of emails) he talked about Ferrari with Alonso...

All team mates in F1 talk about the other company car! Not only McLarens...

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C'mon!! The emails between De la Rosa and Alonso don't prove anything, they were written months before the spy-thing!! And De la Rosa said on Sunday on TV that only in 2 emails (he gave the FIA a lot of emails) he talked about Ferrari with Alonso...

All team mates in F1 talk about the other company car! Not only McLarens...

I know that JACA 2014, I think the same as you! My question was how did they get hold of the emails and what was the Italian police involvement that I heard about? I'm not accusing anyone of anything here, I just want to know how the disclosure came about!

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