McLaren given suspended 3 race ban

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MBK

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story from BBC Sport F1

McLaren have been given a suspended three-race ban for misleading stewards at the Australian Grand Prix by motor sport's governing body, the FIA.
The British team admitted five charges of breaching Formula One rules at a special inquiry on Wednesday in Paris.
The penalty will only be enforced upon Lewis Hamilton's team if "further facts emerge" about this incident or if there is a "further breach" of the rules.
The FIA said team boss Martin Whitmarsh had been "open and honest" with them.
A World Motor Sport Council statement read: "Having regard to the open and honest way in which McLaren team principal, Mr Martin Whitmarsh, addressed the WMSC and the change in culture which he made clear has taken place in his organisation, the WMSC decided to suspend the application of the penalty it deems appropriate.
"This will only be applied if further facts emerge regarding the case or if, in the next 12 months, there is a further breach by the team of article 151 c of the International Sporting Code."
The incident towards the end of the season-opening race in Melbourne where world champion Hamilton finished fourth behind Jarno Trulli's Toyota.
Following the race, McLaren accused the Italian of breaking F1 rules by overtaking while the field was under the control of the safety car.
Officials initially handed Trulli a 25-second penalty, promoting Hamilton to third after he and McLaren's long-serving sporting director Dave Ryan gave evidence that the Englishman had not deliberately let the Toyota driver through, and had not been asked by the team to do so.
But McLaren's radio communication contradicted this and Hamilton was later disqualified with Trulli reinstated to third place.
Hamilton, who issued an emotional public apology after the incident, has escaped punishment from the FIA.
After full details were revealed, Ryan was sacked after 35 years with the team and former McLaren principal Ron Dennis moved away from his involvement with F1 - although he insisted it was not related to the incident.

EDIT:- Someones been messing with the title i'm pretty sure it read: McLieran given suspended 3 race ban.. i was making the emphasis on the whole Lying thing.
 
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Looks like common sense has prevailed, Now lets get on with the racing

Would help if they clean up the stewarding. IMHO it's the past failures and inconsistency in that area that contributed to this mess occuring.
 
It would have done the sport no favours banning the team from racing. Although as McLaren are really nowhere in the championships at the moment has made the whole affair a little easier to deal with.
 
It would have done the sport no favours banning the team from racing. Although as McLaren are really nowhere in the championships at the moment has made the whole affair a little easier to deal with.

You put a typo in there .... Ferrari not McLaren. ;)
 
Am I the only one who feels that if McLaren was having a very good season and Hamilton was heading the driver's points table then the verdict the FIA reached may have been different? Harsher perhaps?

These FIA decisions seem to be as much about creating a false sense of drama as actually upholding racing law.
 
seems like dave was not so innocent after all, or was he just a fall guy? We will never know.
 
I would like to think it is justice but what really ghouls me is the fact that McLaren deliberately LIED to get Toyota punished.

A mistake was made by McLaren and they have sacked a very loyal and very honest man who allowed some very silly things to be said, but the actual liar in this case has got away scot free.

McLaren should have been awarded third position and Toyota fourth.

Both teams were guilty of not knowing the rules but McLaren were perhaps more guilty than Toyota, but to lie and try to get Toyota punished for overtaking is one step too far.

The team AND the DRIVER should have been hammered and I am a McLaren fan.

One very loyal, dedicated employee was sacked but the hired driver\liar gets off scot free, and that is wrong. I was NOT impressed by the crocodile tears, good acting, but when you are caught with your hand in the till then be a man, don't cry, stand up and take the punishment. If you cannot do the time, do not commit the crime.
 
I think mclaren should have got the third position too, if they just went in and said they allowed trulli pass because they thought they had broken the rules when trulli went off and they allowed him to repass them.
Either way i think they were scared of the FIA
 
wounder how much weight the mercedes pull out gave to this decision to suspend the punishment
 
The ruling appears to say that drivers can lie and get off scot free. Not a good example of upholding the rules.

It's perfect example. Just substitute 'driver' withe 'politician' or 'banker'.
 
wounder how much weight the mercedes pull out gave to this decision to suspend the punishment

A lot.

IMO they were light on Renault in spygate because McLaren weren't Ferrari and Renault would have pulled out had the punishment been proportionate to McLaren's.

Having nurtured Brawn they would look silly if McLaren pulled out. I'm guessing the underlying counter-threat was that if McLaren were banned then the team might pull out for the whole season.
 
I would like to think it is justice but what really ghouls me is the fact that McLaren deliberately LIED to get Toyota punished.

A mistake was made by McLaren and they have sacked a very loyal and very honest man who allowed some very silly things to be said, but the actual liar in this case has got away scot free.

McLaren should have been awarded third position and Toyota fourth.

Both teams were guilty of not knowing the rules but McLaren were perhaps more guilty than Toyota, but to lie and try to get Toyota punished for overtaking is one step too far.

The team AND the DRIVER should have been hammered and I am a McLaren fan.

One very loyal, dedicated employee was sacked but the hired driver\liar gets off scot free, and that is wrong. I was NOT impressed by the crocodile tears, good acting, but when you are caught with your hand in the till then be a man, don't cry, stand up and take the punishment. If you cannot do the time, do not commit the crime.

Does this mean Lewis Hamilton has been scratched from your Christmas card list John?;)
 
Does this mean Lewis Hamilton has been scratched from your Christmas card list John?;)
He was going to be the guest of dishonour at our summer GTG but he lied about his coming into the country :)
 
I would like to think it is justice but what really ghouls me is the fact that McLaren deliberately LIED to get Toyota punished.

A mistake was made by McLaren and they have sacked a very loyal and very honest man who allowed some very silly things to be said, but the actual liar in this case has got away scot free.

McLaren should have been awarded third position and Toyota fourth.

Both teams were guilty of not knowing the rules but McLaren were perhaps more guilty than Toyota, but to lie and try to get Toyota punished for overtaking is one step too far.

The team AND the DRIVER should have been hammered and I am a McLaren fan.

One very loyal, dedicated employee was sacked but the hired driver\liar gets off scot free, and that is wrong. I was NOT impressed by the crocodile tears, good acting, but when you are caught with your hand in the till then be a man, don't cry, stand up and take the punishment. If you cannot do the time, do not commit the crime.

I have still yet to hear on the video evidence the comment which confirms that the pitt crew told Lewis to let Truli pass. I have not seen or heard any such footage. All I heard was confusion and random acts of stupidity but not the order to slow down / allow passing.
 
Cheating!

Since nobody else has used the word here it is. McLaren have been found guilty of "CHEATING" :( The fact that other teams do it is irrelevant.:dk: They were found guilty and faced with irrefutable evidence put their hands up. Too many high paid sportsmen indulge in this form of behaviour nowadays whether its Rolando falling to the ground clutching an imaginary jury, Maradona's "Hand of God" or the histrionics at the centre court at Wimbledon "you can't be serious" I want the umpire ( =my mummy :eek:) You can dress it up with fancy words but followers of a particular sport can recognise cheating in all it's myriad of forms. :wallbash: Ultimately without "the rules" the activity becomes pointless and people will get so fed up they will stop watching it :doh:and nobody, particularly the highly paid sportsmen or sponsors, :rolleyes: wants that.;)
 
Since nobody else has used the word here it is. McLaren have been found guilty of "CHEATING" :( The fact that other teams do it is irrelevant.:dk: They were found guilty and faced with irrefutable evidence put their hands up.

No. I can see where you are coming from.

However I think McLaren were faced with a situation where they expected to get penalised for saying that they had instructed LH to let Trulli past.

And there in lies the sordid truth at the heart of this. Trulli was just collateral damage to McLaren trying to defend themselves against a sick stewarding system. Once heading down that path they were screwed.

The problem with F1 is that it acts like a court. So people behave as if it was a court and present themselves and their cases appropriately. And in McLaren's case the potential punishment has been the equivalent to a court and its reposne to perjury.

The final outcome is a demonstration as to how twisted F1 is. McLaren got off lightly ..... why? Reason 1. Dennis moved away and prostrated themseleves to the autorities so Mosley is a happy bunny as a result. Reason 2. Ferrari are in no position to capitalise (so no behind scenes lobbying for outcome that suits them). Reason 3. They risked McLaren pulling out or backing off this season.

Meanwhile we are left with no signs that the rotten stewarding will ever be sorted.

Which means the 'sport' is just as vulnerable to another mess as it was before this happened.
 

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