McLaren Excluded from Constructors Championship

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McLaren has been excluded from the 2007 constructors’ championship and fined $100 million due to a spying scandal involving a Ferrari mechanic providing sensitive information to a McLaren mechanic. Despite this, drivers Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton face no penalties and can continue competing for the drivers' title without team constraints. The fine, while significant, is seen as manageable for a top F1 team, with annual expenditures around $300 million. The discussion highlights concerns about the ethics of technology espionage in F1, with some arguing that the fine is excessive while others believe that the real issue lies in the cover-up and dishonesty to officials. Overall, the sentiment reflects a mix of disbelief regarding the severity of the punishment and an acknowledgment of the competitive nature of F1, where such tactics are not uncommon.
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Not a good day if you're a McLaren fan.

McLaren have been excluded from the 2007 constructors’ championship and fined US$100 million following Thursday’s FIA World Motor Sport Council hearing in Paris. Drivers Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton have not been penalized and are free to continue their fight for the drivers' title.

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2007/9/6767.html

This should be good for those following the race. Now, Alonso and Hamilton need not "sacrfice" their position in any way for the sake of team points. I guess they can fight it out as if they are on different teams.
 
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Glad the drivers weren't penalised. I'm not really bothered about constructors.
 
Fined $100 million? The article sounds rediculous. The offense isn't made very clear, and sounds like a little spying on a rival team. So what? How is that going to make the McLaren F1 cars any faster?
 
The whole deal was, a Ferrari mechanic gave a McLaren mechanic a huge manual about the development and construction of the 2007 ferrari F1 car which would hand McLaren a large advantage over Ferrari if they knew exactly what they were capable of and had extra research. $100 million is nothing in F1 terms considering Alonso is paid ~70% of that as his wage per annum.
 
berkeman said:
Fined $100 million? The article sounds rediculous. The offense isn't made very clear, and sounds like a little spying on a rival team. So what? How is that going to make the McLaren F1 cars any faster?

So, spying on someone else's technology and using it in your cars is not wrong? And it's not just about being faster. Here's a brief history on the scandal
http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2007/9/6761.html

Moreover, I don't think $100m is that big a deal for a leading F1 team. :rolleyes:
 
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Yea, just glad they didn't punish the drivers, even though I do not support McLaren (BMW Sauber fan).
 
neutrino said:
So, spying on someone else's technology and using it in your cars is not wrong? And it's not just about being faster. Here's a brief history on the scandal
http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2007/9/6761.html

Oh, I understand the point now. The other team may have developed new technologies and tricks within the rules, that the McLaren team may not have figured out yet, and that is where spying on them could help the McLaren team. Got it.
 
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neutrino said:
Moreover, I don't think $100m is that big a deal for a leading F1 team. :rolleyes:

According to a feature in the UK Finanical Times newpaper recently, the annual expenditure of an F1 team is about $300m. It doesn't say if that figure includes the driver's wages or not, but the article was about the organization of the engineering operation, not the drivers - so it could be the cost of running the rest of the "business".

But however you slice it, you can do something more useful with $2m a week than give it to a competitor.
 
AlephZero said:
According to a feature in the UK Finanical Times newpaper recently, the annual expenditure of an F1 team is about $300m. It doesn't say if that figure includes the driver's wages or not, but the article was about the organization of the engineering operation, not the drivers - so it could be the cost of running the rest of the "business".

But however you slice it, you can do something more useful with $2m a week than give it to a competitor.

They get loads from sponsorship as well as McLaren being part owned by Mercedes nowadays. I agree the fine was a bit hefty but still nothing that McLaren can't afford.
 
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I think this book will give us all the answers we want. I came across this site last weekend, when a TV-commentator mentioned it.
 
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neutrino said:
I think this book will give us all the answers we want. I came across this site last weekend, when a TV-commentator mentioned it.

150 english pounds = over $300 usd = insane price for a book
plus it is all guesses as no offical reports are made

yes the fine is over the top
no mac is NOT WINNING AS A RESULT of the data
THE DATA is not that big a deal
the cover up is the real crime
ie lieing to the sports officals
everyone spys at the top levels of F-1
and cheats [bends the rules]
the red team more then most
but they sure cry the loudest when ever someone else wins
 

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