http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74346 McLaren has been summoned to appear before the FIA's World Motor Sport Council on April 29 to answer charges that it has brought Formula 1 into disrepute over the controversy surrounding Lewis Hamilton's Australian Grand Prix disqualification.
I can certainly see the pooh-bahs in Paris being bent out of shape and wanting to exact their "revenge" - You do not "mislead" the stewards, EVER! However, the guy (supposedly) responsible is suspended, LH admitted he messed up and they lost a bunch of points..... Punishment enough IMHO. I suspect they'll get their wrists slapped (many $ fine) Beyond that, what are they gonna do? Cheers, Ian
Oh boy, here we go again. While I'm no McLaren fan at all, this is getting more than ridiculous. I guess worst case for them though if they get tossed from this season they could dedicate all their time to developing next year's car! I'm not saying that's going to happen, just making a joke. I think enough is enough with this situation.
Fired now apparently. After 35 years. "Bummer dude!" I guess he'll pop up somewhere if he really is any good.
Funny thing is LH can escape his contract because of this. Personally I would not want to see him at Ferrari. I'd rather see Alonso first. Alonso has proved how good he could be last year in a lame car. But I bet LH will stay with Mclaren but use this to renegotiate his contract for more money so he stays. Then it would be interesting to see if LH is blamed for the demise of McLaren because paying LH so much money now leaves the team without working capital to develop a winning car.
McLaren has been summoned to appear before the FIA's World Motor Sport Council on April 29 to answer charges that it has brought Formula 1 into disrepute over the controversy surrounding Lewis Hamilton's Australian Grand Prix disqualification. The team has been summoned after it 'deliberately misled' stewards at the Australian Grand Prix during a hearing into Jarno Trulli overtaking Lewis Hamilton behind the safety car in the closing stages of the Melbourne race. The FIA announced on Tuesday that the team will appear before the extraordinary WMSC hearing in Paris on the Wednesday after the Bahrain GP to answer charges that it has breached Article 151c of the International Sporting Code. The rule states that competitors are in breach of the regulations if they take part in: "Any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally." The FIA claims that McLaren may have broken the regulations on five counts, that: * on 29 March, 2009, told the stewards of the Australian Grand Prix that no instructions were given to Hamilton in Car No. 1 to allow Trulli in Car no. 9 to pass when both cars were behind the safety car, knowing this statement to be untrue; * procured its driver Hamilton the current World Champion, to support and confirm this untrue statement to the stewards; * although knowing that as a direct result of its untrue statement to the stewards, another driver and a rival team had been unfairly penalised, made no attempt to rectify the situation either by contacting the FIA or otherwise; * on 2 April, 2009, at a second hearing before the stewards of the Australian Grand Prix, (meeting in Malaysia) made no attempt to correct the untrue statement of 29 March but, on the contrary, continued to maintain that the statement was true, despite being allowed to listen to a recording of the team instructing Hamilton to let Trulli past and despite being given more than one opportunity to correct its false statement; * on 2 April, 2009, at the second stewards' hearing, procured its driver Hamilton to continue to assert the truth of the false statement given to the stewards on 29 March, while knowing that what he was saying to the stewards was not true. McLaren has already admitted that sporting director Dave Ryan and Hamilton lied to the stewards during the hearing in Australia, and a second meeting on the eve of the Malaysian Grand Prix. Ryan has been suspended by the team, and Hamilton made an open apology for his actions after revealing that he had been advised by Ryan not to tell the full truth. "I've never felt so bad," he said during an emotional press conference in Malaysia last week. "Try and put yourself in my position and understand that, like I said, I am not a liar. I have not gone through my life being a liar or dishonest. And so for people to say I am dishonest and for the world to think that....what can I say?" It is possible that Hamilton could be called to testify at the WMSC hearing to clarify his involvement in the matter. His father-manager Anthony was understood to have been in contact with FIA president Max Mosley during the course of last week's Malaysian GP weekend as the fallout from the controversy spiralled out of control.
Lewis isn't payed all that much compared to the other drivers. Kimi is still the one getting payed the most I believe.
If Hambone is banned from F1 for his infraction for a year which is a possibility, then no team will pick him up and his sponsers would dump him also. It sure would make an interesting foot note in his biography.
I cannot see this happening - any more than Danica Patrick gets sacked for underperforming so long as she attracts the media attention. Hamilton is the new Michael S. for today's troubled F1, like him or not.
No racing sponser is going to pay someone who is going to display a dark cloud over their product. It would be financial suicide. Contracts have loop holes that work both ways.
I always chuckle when someone says "I am not a liar" just after admitting that they did. It sort of adds a cherry on top of the "lack of credibility" issue. Telling a lie to the stewards is like telling a lie to the ref's or the league. It's one thing to lie to another competitor or the press. But, get caught with a lie to the league and expect a big smackdown. Lewis is actually LUCKY he's world champ. If Scott Speed had done this, he'd be hung.
Maybe you should read the news and realize that he is summoned to the FIA on April 29 to face charges for the incident. The only one that thinks this is not important is you! Keep your statements to the topic at hand. Not to trolling other users and trying to insult other users.
I was just thinking the same thing while reading his press conference and talking about how he isn't a liar or dishonest, when in the previous breath, he admits to being told to lie, and doing so. Good stuff. Nicely done Lou.
That is exactly the point - Hamilton went "states evidence" on them. So if anybody ends Hamilton's season over this it will be McLaren, not the FIA. And bear in mind that the FIA cannot afford to lose McLaren Team just now...see the other thread with the comments on F1 finance troubles from the French-Canadian guy in charge of the Canadian GP.
But it DOES bring up yet another burning Hamilton question - if he lied for McLaren over this relatively trivial matter, did he also do so in the case of the Ferrari papers?
Now David, you just zip it... we will NOT have you ruining a good Lewis bashing thread, ok? Let's see... if we are making predictions.... I say McLaren gets a big fine. I'll say.... $1mm. They won't take away points because they already were excluded. They won't ban them for a number of races because that would hurt the spectacle and Lewis, who has already been forgiven by the FIA. Max does still have a woody for them, though, so no doubt a big fine will be handed down.
