Motorsport: McLaren escape three-race ban

Lewis Hamilton's drivers world championship was at risk if the ban was enforced. Photo / AP.

McLaren escaped further punishment, having admitted to lying to the race stewards at the Australian Grand Prix last month, when they yesterday received a suspended sentence at an extraordinary meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris.

Council members were shown a letter of apology the FIA had received from the new team principal, Martin Whitmarsh, and listened to a statement from him before deciding to suspend the three-race ban they had intended to impose. That would have significantly affected the team, and particularly the drivers Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen.

The FIA said yesterday: "Having regard to the open and honest way in which McLaren team principal Mr Martin Whitmarsh addressed the WMSC, and the change in culture which he made clear has taken place in his organisation, the WMSC decided to suspend the application of the penalty it deems appropriate.

"The penalty is a suspension of the team from three races of the FIA Formula One World Championship."

In a statement of their own, the team said: "McLaren accepts the FIA World Motor Sport Council's decision and wishes to thank the FIA World Motor Sport Council members for the very fair hearing they have givenus."

Whitmarsh himself added:

"I was pleased to be able to assure the FIA World Motor Sport Council members that we had taken appropriate action with a view to ensuring that such mistakes do not occur again."

That action included sacking the sporting director, Dave Ryan, and obliging the former team principal Ron Dennis to step down from his remaining Formula One responsibilities.

Missing the next three races - the Spanish, Monaco and Turkish grands prix - would have significantly compromised the team's chances of retaining Hamilton's drivers' world championship and of wresting the constructors' title from Ferrari.

But there would also have been a very serious impact on their financial well-being if they had been forced to miss Monaco, the most prestigious and important race on the calendar for their sponsors and their shareholders.

- INDEPENDENT