McLaren fined $100,000,000 by FIA.

[yetibone]

Story

This is a disappointment to auto racing.

In a show of who has the most control in world motorsport, this ruling makes it extremely obvious how tight the FIA and Ferrari are; going after the entire team McLaren, minus the drivers for their implicating testimony, banning the team from the constructors title, issuing a horrendous fine, when the two actual perps were simply fired. Whiskey tango foxtrot?! Where's the fines for Stepney, and Coughlin? Where's the hard proof that McLaren actually benefited from the leaked secrets, or will benefit from them in '08?

Max Moseley is seeing his revenge for the '05 USGP. That's got to be the reason for that hard a penalty.

So, since McLaren has done well this season, and the FIA, plus the World Motorsport Council ruled that they may have capitalized on spied secrets from the Scuderia, then perhaps McLaren should teach Ferrari how to use their own technology.

[NO_H2O]

Yes. I find it weird that if the crime was worth that large a fine (we don't know what was in the package snagged for our boys in Red). Why are the drivers points untouched if they were earned in a program that gained or might gain momentum from this data.
I am not a Ferrari hater. I still remember them sucking from the af-most for years before Shummie and the boys turned things around. I can also see were Ron and the boys now have things well in hand after a few questionable seasons and some reliability issues. Could be all thier hard work or some great information slid thier way or both. I just don't know what the details are.

[petevw]

FIA press release.

part 1:
http://www.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlin...14170755.shtml

part 2:
http://www.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlin...14170949.shtml

[yetibone]

Good points Dave. Why don't the drivers relinquish their points if the team was found to have benefited from the 780 pages of specs from Ferrari? For the FIA to say the drivers would have immunity from prosecution because of their implicating testimonies, especially Alonso's and De La Rosa's e-mails about weight transfer, tells me the FIA has an axe to grind with Ron Dennis.

[yetibone]

In this article, it says Ron Dennis actually tipped off Max Moseley, and the FIA to the fact that his drivers may have had information relevant to their investigation. Maybe just a floundering attempt to restore any lost credibility on his part, but it does show some admirable integrity.

I don't think McLaren is totally at fault here. Shouldn't Nigel Stepney receive some kind of punishment from the FIA, since he was the one who passed along sensitive information? Sure, Mike Coughlin lied about how much he had talked with Stepney at first, but after it all, it was the disgruntled Ferrari engineer Nigel Stepney who gave away the info. Mike Coughlin was only the man who's lap the info fell into, and Ron Dennis was out of the loop almost entirely until the investigation started.

What info was passed on between Alonso, and De La Rosa about Ferrari's weight bias and brake bias is the kind of stuff ALL the teams ALWAYS spy on during EVERY race.

Originally Posted by yetibone

Whiskey tango foxtrot?!

Lima Oscar Lima

[NO_H2O]

Yes were is Nigle Stepeny anyway?
I'm sure that if a large book of Ferrari technical data landed on a desk at McLaren it landed on Ron Denis's desk. And he was ringing his hands just dying to read it. I knew that the drivers were granted immunity but if the data gave McLaren an edge then the drivers used it and will continue to use it the way things have played out.
I still want to see Lewis Hamilton beat out Alonso but if they got their edge from stollen data, they should finish Hamilton 3rd and Alonso (the cryer) 4th.

[yetibone]

Actually, Ron Dennis apparently wasn't even aware of Coughlin's contact with Stepney over any Ferrari technical plans, although it's not been proven as a fact. A number of people in those circles have vouched for Dennis' integrity on that subject though.

The dossier was found at Mike Coughlin's residence during a court appointed search of the house following the British high court investigation of possible interception of classified technical information belonging to Ferrari. If Ron Dennis even had prior knowledge of Stepney talking to Coughlin. he likely didn't think anything of their contact at all, since both the men were friends since working together at Benneton some time ago.

[NO_H2O]

I can't help but think that if the data was used or tested to the point that the driver or drivers knew about it. Then Ron had to know about it. I could be wrong but it only seems natural.
I was hoping for an Alonzo DNF this morning. Didn't get it.