McLaren guilty

[BD]

IMHO, the reason that FA/LH were not penalized is because the SHOW must go on. If both were also DQ'd from driver's championship, there would be no reason for McLaren cars to keep racing the rest of the season. It would be boring to see Ferrari to win all of the remaining races if no McLaren cars to challenge them.

So here is a new question:
Since FA may be the one who spoken the most to FIA regarding this matter, that is probably why he wasn't at the hearing; therefore, if that's the case, McLaren sure is going to get rid of him, and by remove him for the rest of the championship so their boy Hamilton can win the driver's title. After all, they don't need FA any more...

 

[Cartoon]

We will be back, McLaren have been competitive for some time now befor this stolen info was used.
Its not the first time this has happened from memory But its the first time team 1 has used team 2's data. If i remember correctly the red horse crew would use other teams data when a race was in the other teams home track.

There jst upset cause they were getting beat.

 

[CKS Papa]

After all, they don't need FA any more...

I don't know if FA is that dispensable. Look what happened to the Renault team after he left. Didn't I hear the Speed Channel commentators saying that FA was allowed to keep his set up to himself and not share it with LH resulting in FA being consistently faster than LH and eventually winning last weekend's GP.
Being the current double world champion does not hurt either.
I'm not a die hard FA fan but just giving him his due respect.

 

[92 white 0650]

Re: FA's motivation

if that's the case, McLaren sure is going to get rid of him, and by remove him for the rest of the championship so their boy Hamilton can win the driver's title. After all, they don't need FA any more...

It's no secret that this year did not work out the way FA planned. So, I'm not so sure he is sitting around waiting to see what McClaren will or wants to do with him. He's got his own agenda. Assuming he does want to leave McClaren (not hard for me); the problem is that contractually, it would be difficult. Seems logical that he actively worked for (or at least passively allowed) McClaren to be brought down as that could be the easy way out of his contract. Result: he appears to be a victim, keeps the money and goes to the next team of his choice.

 

[goldNSX]

Is it sport? Is it politics? Or is it monkey-business? It looks like eye for eye, tooth for tooth to me. Regardless of what the mikrocosmos of circus-monkeys does, did and will do: I'll watch the start (but only this) of the race, hope for some action on the first two laps on sunday and drive my own race with her if the wheather is good. :wink:

 

[TC]

So how is chamionship point converted to $? Anyone knows?

I don't know the actual formula but do have a basic idea of the general mechanism. Formula One Management (Bernie) gets all of the commercial revenue from F1 - track fees, advertising, TV, etc. - and a portion of that goes back to the teams. In the past, the teams got 40% and Bernie kept 60%. The teams protested - planned to break-away and Bernie upped the sharing to 50%, IIRC. The money is distributed to the teams based on constructor standings - the top team gets about $60m and the lowest team about $10m. The difference between last place and 2nd to last is $4-5m, hence the reason why even scoring a few points is so important. And why Spyker protested SA's use of the 2006 Honda F1 car.

As Ron Dennis point out, the actual out-of-pocket for McLaren will be about $50m to cover the $100m fine. The other $50m will be in the form of lost constructor monies.

 

[PhiAlpha44]

At least Nascar teams don't spy on each other. We just use out of spec parts here and there. :wink:

 

[myguitar]

At least Nascar teams don't spy on each other. We just use out of spec parts here and there. :wink:

I just moved to the south... NASCAR is everywhere and frankly, I dont really understand that sport. I like when they do road-course races, but otherwise, watching someone go around an oval for 500 laps... just not me... Besides, they all have same engines so spying on the other teams is as easy at looking at your own specs.

I think one the reasons Lewis and Fernando are allowed to keep their points is that F1 has been looking for a revival in the last few years and these guys are so exciting that F1 can't afford to penalize them. Ferrari's complete and total 5 year domination cost F1 some fans and now you've got a two time champ Alonso and an exciting rookie Hamilton stirring it all up which is giving F1 a lot of good attention and new fans. They don't want to lose that. If it was another, lower ranking team that did this non-sense I'm sure the driver points would have gotten suspended too.

As always, just my .2 Pesos!

 

[MCM]

Dah Hah, Dah Hah " He said NASCAR" Dah Hah, Dah Hah

[/IMG]

 

[92 white 0650]

Is it sport? Is it politics? Or is it monkey-business?

It is obviously hopeless, silly and transparent monkey-business and Ron Dennis sent that message today. Bernie probably slipped the team a few mill to say

"We believe the time has come to put this huge distraction behind us.

.

 

[NSXGMS]

First the FIA said McLaren were at fault, but didn't levy a penalty. Now, after this damning evidence, they have confirmed McLaren's guilty status, but continue to allow LH and FA to compete in the driver's championship

There are far more details intended for release by the WMSC on Friday, but the punishment fits the crime, the only change I would have made was either exclusion, or some sort of points penalty, for LH/FA, the primary benefactors of this stolen information.

Well, certainly the team were the "primary benefactors" and the drivers have nothing to do with the conspiracy (we believe) but the drivers are certainly secondary or indirect benefactors. Should they have been punished? Maybe. But I'm fine with them not being punished. From what I understand they were granted immunity for testifying so even if they deserved a punishment the FIA had to compromise in the big picture.

Also, just because McLaren can't score points doesn't mean they can't win the races and that translates into more $ in the future. They still want to win and therefore still need Alonso. The better the team does the better for them in terms of future sponsorship and fanbase.

Also, everyone knows the world wants to watch the big 4 fight it out in the driver's championship. The FIA I'm sure gladly conceded the punishments of FA and LH to get at McLaren. Punishing them would have been a very poor move for the FIA on several levels.