F1 McLaren escape punishment

[warot]

McLaren have been escaped penalty by the FIA after Thursday's hearing ruled that there was insufficient evidence to suggest the team made use of stolen Ferrari secrets.


McLaren appeared before the World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Thursday, charged with 'fraudulent conduct' and having 'unauthorised possession of documents and confidential information belonging to Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro.'


And although the World Motor Sport Council found the Woking team guilty of possession of unauthorised Ferrari documents, they said there was no evidence that McLaren had used that information.


The team therefore escaped penalty, however, were warned that should further information come to light they could be charged again and would face severe penalties, including exclusion from the World Championship.


More to follow...

McLaren escape punishment - Planet-F1 News - from planet-f1.com

 

[Imhotep Evil]

Damn. I would have wanted McMErc to be found guilty, but the drivers to be left alone. That way Alonso could have been free of his McMerc contract.

 

[Remy Zero]

it'll be quite silly if they were indeed found guilty. building an F1 car is a yearly thing, probably lots of hard work and researches that had to be done.

u can't just build a race winning car with a bunch of secret documents with a 2 month time frame.

however, i still think they should have penalised both Mac drivers. put both of 'em same points with Kimi, then we'll have the championship re-ignited

 

[Imhotep Evil]

Ofcourse you can't just put Ferrari parts on a McMerc chassis.
Those documents were most likely intended for Honda.
Still I wanted Alonso to be freed of his McMerc contract.

 

[450SEL6.9]

No surprise here. I'm interested in Ferrari's response and whether Ron Dennis knew what was going on.

Ferrari can litigate in the Euro courts or they can issue a statement like "we disagree with the verdict and will go on racing."

If I'm the boss of Ferrari, I'll blast this verdict in the media and threaten to withdraw my cars. I don't see much hope of either Ferrari drivers taking the title anyway.

 

[fortuner]

hi i am glad that mclaren and the drivers escaped any penalty,,,hope now they can get down to work and start dominating again and win both championshipss

 

[Imhotep Evil]

No surprise here. I'm interested in Ferrari's response and whether Ron Dennis knew what was going on.

Ferrari can litigate in the Euro courts or they can issue a statement like "we disagree with the verdict and will go on racing."

If I'm the boss of Ferrari, I'll blast this verdict in the media and threaten to withdraw my cars. I don't see much hope of either Ferrari drivers taking the title anyway.

But Ferrari aren't behind McMErc because of these documents. But because of reliability and drivers. And McMerc has nothing to do with that.

 

[Remy Zero]

i still find it quite odd that Mac escaped punishment. whether or not the used those information is one thing, but they still have prove that they were having illigeal docs from Ferrari.

i think they should have been fined at least for the possesion of those.

 

[siko]

I'm surprised since the FIA is typically pro-Ferrari

 

[LaArtist]

FIA is pro whatever brings the intrest to the sport..
Before it was ferrari..and now its McLMb

 

[Sunny]

I'm surprised since the FIA is typically pro-Ferrari

FIA or rather FOM is pro-money - till now that meant pro-Schumacher and now pro-Hamilton. Kicking Hamilton from the championship would be the worst thing FIA could do for the popularity of the F1 right now.

 

[LaArtist]

^exactly my point..

 

[Bartek S.]

I’m surprised with decision, but good for them and all motorsport; we don’t need scandals within F1. Let’s enjoy fair competition.

 

[Remy Zero]

I’m surprised with decision, but good for them and all motorsport; we don’t need scandals within F1. Let’s enjoy fair competition.

+1

 

[Imhotep Evil]

Pinched off another forum:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saint Max's Epistle to the Maranellons, Ch.1

Brothers and Sisters,

for ten years now my ministers and I in the Ferrari Intervention Agency have toiled along with you against your battles with the Bald One and his Silver Demons. We have also smoted the cheating Hondan's and the Symonites and their mass dampers.

But lo my children, the blessed Michael has left you and our Lord and Master and his beloved Slavica can no longer schew their blessings upon you.

A new prince has risen in the land of the Bald One and the Silver Demons, and our Lord and Master revealed to us his wish in a new vision.

'Max O beloved

thou shalt turn thy face from Maranello and support the new prince,

Lo even when the numpty rests in the gravel trap, thou shalt send a metal angel and deliver him verily back to the track,

Lo even when the Bald One shall steal the Maranellons secrets from their tabernacle, THOU SHALT NOT SMITE HIM,

for verily the Bald One and the new prince are blessed to me,

and my love for the Maranellons is no more'


O Maranellons accept the word of thy Lord and Master.

Even though thy elders Wiggy Luca and little Jean may cry,

Even though the fire water drinking Finn and the little munchkin may wail and lament,

--------------------------------------------------------------------------


Understand this:

Bernie will make more money from the WDC and the new English bloke,
Yeah they cheated but so have you in the past,
You're out, they're in,
So get over it.

Amen.

 

[Imhotep Evil]

from Sniff Petrol:

SPYING SCANDAL SOMEHOW SORTED S...OUT
Sniff, Thursday, July 26th, 2007 at 9:09 pm

Posted in Motorsport

There were high spirits at McLaren this week as the FIA decided not to penalise the championship leading team for their claimed involvement in the recent Formula 1 spying controversy. ‘Scuderia McLaren is delighted with this decision,’ said an official statement from the team. ‘Jean Dennis and everyone at our factory in Wokiorano is confident that all allegations of copying can now be laid to rest and that we can continue our fight in what is one of the most exciting drivers’ and constructors’ titles in many years, including an emotional return to our home circuit on 9 September’.

However, title rivals Ferrari were less impressed with the FIA’s decision. ‘Ferrari is deeply disappointed with the outcome of today’s extraordinary meeting,’ said an official statement. ‘This decision sets a very serious precedent, namely that the FIA is now prepared to let other teams get away with cheating as well as us’.

And

FERRARI WHINES ABOUT HONDA THIS TIME
Sniff, Friday, July 27th, 2007 at 8:30 am

Posted in Motorsport

As McLaren celebrates the FIA’s decision not to issue a penalty for the team’s part in the F1 spying scandal, a new storm was brewing over the sport as Ferrari today issued fresh allegations of copying, this time against Honda.

‘There is growing evidence that Honda Racing’s current championship campaign is not wholly based on original material,’ said a statement from the Italian team. ‘Specifically, that they have been copying the Ferrari seasons 1991, 1992 and 1993’.

‘Honda’s performance this season is too familiar to be mere coincidence,’ said a Maranello insider. ‘The mediocre performance, the patchy reliability, the dispirited drivers, these are all things that have clearly been obtained from Ferrari’s period of being rubbish in the early ‘90s’.

However, Honda was quick to rebuff any allegations of copying. ‘Honda Racing denies any suggestion that it has knowingly copied data or strategy from Ferrari, either current or when they were shit,’ said a spokesman. ‘Throughout the entire F1 spying scandal we have been entirely open and honest about our involvement. Specifically, that our awful season is entirely modelled on the dismal efforts of Footwork during the 1995 championship. We are confident that this will become clear during the forthcoming Hungarian Grand Prix where we have asked Barrichello to get himself run over by the marshalling car’.

 

[Imhotep Evil]

Latest:


Briatore understands Ferrari's frustration
27 July 2007

Renault Formula 1 team boss Flavio Briatore has said he doesn't have a clue why McLaren didn't get any punishment after Thursday's World Motor Sport Council. The FIA World Motor Sport Council has said that McLaren would not receive any penalty for having Ferrari documents.

Briatore told Gazzetta dello Sport: "I don't understand what happened. Why would you organise a World Motor Sport Council when there is no hard evidence? And why isn't McLaren punished for having Ferrari documents? I was on the phone with Jean Todt and he sounds very disappointed. I completely understand why Luca di Montezemolo got angry with this verdict."

 

[Imhotep Evil]

Ferrari President Luca Montezemolo said on Friday his team had not accepted defeat in the McLaren spying row.

In Paris on Thursday the FIA, Formula One's governing body, cleared McLaren of any wrongdoing, ruling there was not enough evidence to suggest the British team had benefited from confidential Ferrari documents which ended up in the hands of their chief designer, Mike Coughlan.

But Montezemolo insisted the fight would continue, promising fans of the Italian outfit they would not lie down.

"I want to say to the fans from all over the world who have been contacting Ferrari, offended by the decision taken in Paris yesterday, that they should remain calm because this story will not end here," he was quoted as saying by Italian news agency ANSA.

Earlier on Friday, Ferrari's executive director Jean Todt, said the team were mulling their next move.

"We are reflecting on what to do after the incomprehensible and grave decision made in Paris," said the Frenchman. "It's difficult to understand that one who is deemed to be guilty goes unpunished."


Despite clearing them, the FIA warned that if in the future McLaren were found to have used the information passed on to Coughlan they risked being kicked out of Formula One for the 2007 and 2008 season.

The spying affair erupted after Coughlan was caught in possession of a 780-page Ferrari dossier - allegedly given to him by Ferrari engineer Nigel Stepney - following a search of his home by High Court-appointed officials.

McLaren team boss Ron Dennis had always strenuously denied that anyone at his team other than Coughlan had set eyes on the dossier.

Ferrari have taken up legal action against Stepney through the Italian justice system.

Source AFP

 

[450SEL6.9]

But Ferrari aren't behind McMErc because of these documents. But because of reliability and drivers. And McMerc has nothing to do with that.

But I don't think that was Ferrari's point. They said the ruling was incomprehensible because the FIA deemed the possession of other team's secret documents to be illegal. It chose not to impose any sanction whatsoever despite that ruling. If that is the case, why are there rules regarding possession of other's data?

I am happy that the Ferrari boys have attacked the verdict. This is a screwy season. First, I called Mansell the voice of reason for not buying into the hype that his fellow retired British drivers were spewing out. Now, I think Briatore has it spot on about the WMSC meeting. I've never thought I'd say that. He asks a good question

Pinched off another forum:

Understand this:

Bernie will make more money from the WDC and the new English bloke,
Yeah they cheated but so have you in the past,
You're out, they're in,
So get over it.

Amen.

Bernie will make less money if Ferrari reconsiders their role in F1. I think we are clearly seeing a loss of Ferrari influence. After Schu got sent to the back of the grid at Monaco because the stewards interpreted (but couldn't conclusively) prove his intent to obstruct Alonso, many people in F1 said it signaled a power shift.

Kimi is out of this year's title and Massa has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory already this season. If Ferrari fall further behind in the points table, I think they should consider withdrawing from the season to protest the lack of sanction against a team that illegally possessed their data. We'll see how much money F1 can make then.

The bottom line is that F1 needs Ferrari more than Ferrari needs F1. Ferrari sells 5,000+ cars a year with F1. They'll sell 5,000+ without F1.

 

[Sunny]

I’m surprised with decision, but good for them and all motorsport; we don’t need scandals within F1. Let’s enjoy fair competition.

I agree about the good for motor sport part, but fair? How is it fair if one team happens to illegally posses another team's secrets?