The FIA should send McLaren home without a punishment for the good of F1
29th April 2009, 0:01 by Keith Collantine 147 Comments »
Lewis Hamilton's season is in jeopardy over the Australian GP scandal
With a depressing air of familiarity, McLaren head off to the World Motor Sports Council today to hear the outcome of the latest investigation into the team’s conduct.
The team have already been stripped of Lewis Hamilton’s third place in the Australian Grand Prix for what some elements of the media have dubbed, with little imagination, ‘lie-gate’.
Speculation about what kind of punishment that might receive has run wild. A fine to match or even exceed the shocking $100m penalty they were handed two years ago? Exclusion from races as BAR suffered in 2005? Or even worse?
Should McLaren receive further punishment for the Australian GP incident?
- Yes (582 Votes)
- No (1,016 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,596
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McLaren’s response
Since the news of Hamilton’s disqualification from the Australian Grand Prix, and the team’s summoning before the World Motor Sports Council, the team have reacted in several ways – not all of which may be a consequence of the hearing:
- It first suspended and later dismissed sporting director Dave Ryan.
- Ron Dennis has stepped down from running the F1 team
- It sent a letter to the FIA offering what it describes as an “unreserved apology”
They have admitted they were at fault and do not intend to defend themselves against the charges.
This is a sensible approach, as their guilt is beyond doubt. And that goes not just for the team, but also for Lewis Hamilton, whose reputation in the eyes of the wider public has taken a battering.
Not everyone will condemn him – some like their sporting heroes to demonstrate the unflinching commitment to winning Hamilton certainly showed at Melbourne. Other will simply refuse to be he could possibly have done anything wrong. But British sport has a strong ethic of ‘fair play’ – and, like diving in the penalty box or refusing to leave the wicket when one knows they are out, in misleading the stewards Hamilton has harmed his reputation in the eyes of many.
Not the first time
As with the ‘spying’ scandal in 2007, it’s laughable to claim that McLaren are the first people to have transgressed in this manner – or are even the first ones to have lied and got caught.
Ferrari’s insistence that Michael Schumacher’s infamous Rascasse manoeuvre at Monaco in 2006 was anything other than an attempt to delay his rivals in qualifying was patently false – yet they went before the stewards and argued against him being penalised. He was thrown to the back of the grid – but no charge of ‘bringing the sport into disrepute’ for them.
Last year the FIA itself gave an account that one of its former stewards described as “grossly inaccurate and misleading”. It may have been untruthful, but unsurprisingly no-one stopped to consider whether F1′s reputation had been harmed. (More on these incidents here).
If McLaren and Hamilton have brought the FIA into disrepute by not telling the truth, it is not the first time this has happened – but they could be the first ones to get punished for it.
What will the verdict be?
Consistency rarely seems to figure in FIA decision-making. Whether the matter at hand is driving tactics, technology or politics, the FIA often treats two apparently similar examples very differently – inevitably giving rise to all sorts of unsavoury speculation about what its motives are.
F1 does not need any more of this. We have had season after season dogged by unnecessary scandal. If F1′s race control was as on-the-ball as NASCAR or IRL’s is this whole matter would have been sorted in a matter of minutes – not allowed to drag on for a month.
The FIA should accept McLaren’s apology for two reasons. First, because it’s the right thing to do.
And second, because after an exciting start to the 2009 championship F1 is finally back in the headlines for the right reasons. A disproportionate penalty against McLaren would be seen as a vindictive act, and further evidence that not all the teams are treated equally.
Should McLaren get any further penalty? What should it be? Have your say in the comments.
Read more: McLaren called before WMSC again: what will their punishment be?
Paige said on 29th April 2009, 0:09
Agreed. If Ferrari can get away with lying to race stewards time and again, then it’s truly hypocritical for the FIA to punish McLaren for it.
Prisoner Monkeys said on 29th April 2009, 6:20
So everyone should be allowed to get away with it? The FIA need to step in at some point and say enough is enough; it’s only hypocritical if they punish McLaren and then someone else does it and gets away with it.
Achilles said on 29th April 2009, 6:51
I think the point here would be that no matter which team was guilty, the FIA would have done itself a whole lot of good by nipping this in the bud as it happened. Choosing Mclaren as the team to make an example of will only increase the belief that Mclaren are being singled out by the FIA. As the article points out there have been many instances where others have committed worse offences, even in the FIA, a severe punishment will cause an outcry, and much raking over old coals.
Dougal said on 29th April 2009, 9:08
“it’s only hypocritical if they punish McLaren and then someone else does it and gets away with it”
Didn’t that happen in 2007 with Renault ?
chaostheory said on 29th April 2009, 0:12
There will be no penalty, or some symbolic one. we all know that that “lie gate” was great opportunity for Max to call this meeting and force 2010 budget cap
(More seriously: lie is a lie and should not gone unpunished; and if lying is a common thing in F1 – I dont want to know it – I hate liars)
Arthur954 said on 29th April 2009, 0:17
Completely unfair to punish McLaren. It would be a scandal and makes you feel like leaving this tacky show of Bernie and Mo.
A team with the class of McLaren should be treated with reverence.
todd said on 29th April 2009, 3:13
err? they lied? cheated? how much would you be crying for justice if ferrari got caught not mclaren?
mclaren – such class, it’s like spygate never happened.
Patrickl said on 29th April 2009, 7:53
Schumacher lied and cheated, yet he only lost his qualifying result.
Hamilton has been punished already when they took away his hard fought third place
Paddy said on 29th April 2009, 10:01
You complain about Schumacher being punished less for lying and cheating right? THe FIA have to start doing the right thing at somepoint. Mclaren lied and cheated so should be punished. Whether or not the current punishment is sufficient is the problem. I think they should get further punishment to hammer home the message. Possibly a fine.Nothing crippling but they deserve to have their mistake highlighted. But further punishment does rely on the FIA having some sort of FUTURE consistency. I believe the argument that Schumi got less of a penalty isn’t feasible.
patrickl said on 29th April 2009, 15:05
Wrong, I’m saying McLaren already had been punished enough.
Arthur954 said on 29th April 2009, 17:20
I´m not saying that what McLaren did was OK. In the heat of the moment they lied, just like football players complain to the referee after a penalty has been awarded. That is part of the competitivenes. No big deal.
What I am saying is that Mclaren and the other teams are paying hundreds of salaries and doing a lot of work, and it is thanks to them that F1 exists. They have to be treated well.
I am against the FIA or Bernie handing out punishment and judgement left and right, when all they do is shuffle papers and count the money, while the teams like McLaren are actually doing the real work and risking the money.
Senor Paz said on 30th April 2009, 0:55
One thing’s for sure, even more damaging to McLaren’s image right now are the constant references to past Ferrari stunts. Really, turns out McLaren is just as dodgy as their red rivals… No big surprises there.
What’s puzzling to me is that whenever someone mentions Lewis Hamilton lately, an attempt is made to compare his recent behaviour to Schumacher’s. Now THAT can only be damaging, because any serious F1 fan knows that what happened to Lewis (being asked to go with a lie by a team manager) could happen to almost any other driver.
I wouldn’t worry about the ‘damage’ done to Lewis by the stupid tabloids. Let the man answer his critics on the track… and well, to be honest I think Lewis has been nothing short of impressive this year.
chaostheory said on 29th April 2009, 0:18
Oh. Edit: I voted “NO”, just because McLaren was already punished in Australia. Besides, the damage to their and Hamiltons reputation is so big that its enough as a punishment.
TommyB said on 29th April 2009, 0:20
I don’t get why it’s continued. They cheated in Oz so they got DQed from that race… Why continue further.
ExPatBrit said on 29th April 2009, 0:41
Mclaren and Lewis have been convicted in the “court of public opinion”
They will have to live with what they did and the loss of points in Melbourne.
Punishment enough IMHO.
Peter Boyle said on 29th April 2009, 0:48
Mclaren should not be *further* punished. They
were DQ’d already, which is frequently omitted
in the press.
todd said on 29th April 2009, 3:18
I think keith is slightly misleading people on this.
there’s no further punishment, there hasn’t been a punishment yet for mclaren.
lewis has been punished for lying, his punishment was a DQ. (the driver AND the team lost the points, since the team cant score points without the driver scoring – mclaren have not been punished).
mclaren (the guy who lied that works for mclaren) has not been punished for instigating the lie to start with by the FIA. mclaren have sacked him to save face, but they have still not been punished by the FIA.
F1Yankee said on 29th April 2009, 1:07
both driver and management conspired (poorly) to deceive (poorly) officials (usually poor in their own right). the driver has been penalized justly, and should be in the clear. now it’s the team’s turn.
i think too severe a penalty would do more harm than good, but something must be done. it seems this deception wasn’t part of mclaren’s plan all along, they have identified and dealt with the offender internally, and have taken steps to mitigate the damage.
maybe exclusion from constructor’s points for a race or two, especially since they are already fighting off the back foot so to speak. this would do minimal harm under the current circumstances, but still pack a sting should it be applied to a front-runner.
Johnny Rimshot III said on 29th April 2009, 1:11
What seems to go amiss here is the fact that Dave Ryan and Lewis Hamilton lied not once but twice (whether at the behest of Dave Ryan and/or McLaren management we will never know) to the race stewards and, when faced with evidence to the contrary in the form of radio transcripts and given the opportunity to distance themselves from those statements maintained their position until it all blew up in their faces.
When Honda were found to have made untruthful representations to the FIA regarding their fuel tank a two race suspension was handed down.
I expect no less, but not more, for McLaren – especially as MB have been successful in cleaning house at Paragon.
Lynn said on 29th April 2009, 1:16
I voted no, they have been punished enough, together with the public shameing, humiliation and loss of reputation. Enough is enough, I don’t subscribe to continuing to kick someone when they are down. The fall out is enough deterrent to others.
S Hughes said on 29th April 2009, 1:16
Excellently put Keith. It is so refreshing to come on this site to hear what a true F1 fan thinks, not some British journalist trying to make a sensationalist story. It would just be disastrous to mete out a strong punishment to McLaren – they’ve already been punished and it would make a mockery of this season. As you said above, if the race director had actually given some DIRECTION during the race, none of this would have happened. And if the stewards had come to a decision after gathering all the data and information, none of this would have happened. Lewis might even be higher up in the standings. I hope this kangaroo court gives a little rap on the knuckles and sends everyone on their way to actually RACE!
Senor Paz said on 3rd May 2009, 2:38
You make no sense, Lewis Hamilton fanboy. Blaming the stewards on this is just preposterous. Stop the ranting, read the news and enjoy the racing.
Gman said on 29th April 2009, 1:34
I agree with the sentiment that McLaren should be accepted for the apology that they have given already and be left that that. All points in both championships from that race have been taken away and the guilty parties have acknowledged their guilt- the sport will be wise to let the incident settle at that.
In any event, I think Max’s main focus will be on the budget caps, and not so much on McLaren, especially with Ron not being around anymore.
dmw said on 29th April 2009, 1:56
I’m not sure the opprobrium has been sufficient to the outrageous behavior in Australia and Malaysia. It really was scandalous. However, this whole process of multiple hearings over weeks, long after the fact, and after two other races, is patently ridiculous. And they already forfeited a good result properly earned with a legal car. What other sport operates this way? Its as though the FIA wants to assert that, at the end of the day, what happens in its star chamber is more important than whatever happens on the track. I have to reject this psychology. Nonetheless, the FIA will wield the scepter because that’s the point of the hearing.
YeaMon said on 29th April 2009, 2:33
They lied and got caught. They deserve to be punished, and that has already happened.
todd said on 29th April 2009, 3:23
but it hasn’t mclaren have not been punished yet.
why is everyone missing this? just because hamilton got DQ’d for a lie, mclaren have NOT been punished for anything yet.
the driver lost his points for the position (driver and constructor points earned) that’s his punishment.
there was 2 people in this, hamilton the driver, and dave or whatever, the mclaren rep.
both lied, both need to face punishment.
or is it ok for a driver to lie and the team get away with it – when it was the teams idea to start with?
todd said on 29th April 2009, 3:31
“F1 does not need any more of this. We have had season after season dogged by unnecessary scandal.”
there wouldn’t be any more of this, if teams like mclaren stopped stealing and lying.
this is the whole point of harsh penalties and not giving slaps on the wrist.
if teams know they cant get away with a lie, or stealing something without major consequences, they’ll stop doing it.
if the outcome is just a slap on the wrist, a fall guy and a ‘i’m sorry’, the’ll of course keep doing it.
ferrari are no saints, renault aren’t squeaky clean, but besides ferrari and mclaren, who else brings the sport into disrepute so often?
renault? redbull? str? forceindia? toyota? bmw? williams? brawn?
these scandals are’t works of fiction made up buy the FIA to get more press, they are just reactions to events. the FIA are trying to be as strict as possible to stop this from happening – so the f1 doesn’t keep having these scandals.
if the team / driver lies and cheats, stop supporting them. plenty of other good teams and drivers out there.