Race bans possible for McLaren ungrateful Hamilton
04/12/09 Holy Cow. Now Ron Dennis is the bad guy for all the transgressions he has done to poor Lewis Hamilton and his father. Let's see–McLaren paid for all of Lewis' racing from karts. Formula Renault with the best team, Formula 3 with the best team, GP2 with the best team, a rookie placed in the best Grand Prix car of that year and given favorable treatment to the 2 time World Champion whom Ron screwed for Lewis, and finally, gave him the ride that made him World Champion and paid him a fortune. A mere two Grands Prix after he won the World Championship on a red carpet paved with McLaren gold, he and his father are talking trash about the team. Amazing. And the suggestion that the Hamiltons are trying to pressure Dennis to quit his own team is absurd. Without Dennis, Hamilton would be nothing.
At the same time, Lewis has disobeyed team orders that led to the meltdown in Hungary with Alonso, lied to the stewards, and it is all Ron's fault. Wow. I think that the reason all the controversy Lewis carries with him has nothing to do with his skin color. It has everything to do with the fact that the guy obviously stirs up a lot of trouble wherever he goes. He is not the best driver on the grid. McLaren should be done with him and bring in Vettel or Rosberg, either of whom would have been just as good with the cars Lewis was given by McLaren and far less trouble. The only World Champion in recent history who never paid his dues has a funny way of saying thanks. Ralph Monroe
04/11/09 Lewis Hamilton faces the threat of being banned from up to three races when the World Motor Sport Council meet in Paris in 17 days’ time to hand out punishments following Formula One’s ‘Liargate’ scandal.
But the biggest loser of all could be the man who has bankrolled Hamilton’s career since he was 13 years old and who was the team’s principal for 24 years before standing down in January. Ron Dennis, now McLaren’s chairman and chief executive as well as a substantial shareholder, will come under increasing pressure to make a decisive exit from the team he built up as the only way to ensure that world champion Hamilton stays on board.
Hamilton and his father, Anthony, are believed to have lost faith in the judgment of the McLaren chairman and sources say this is no longer a uniquely held view. Inside the team, there is said to be a gathering belief that until Dennis quits, McLaren will not be given the chance to start afresh after the shame of ‘Ferrarigate’ cost them a $100million fine in 2007.
McLaren face possible expulsion, or suspension, from the world championship after the WMSC charged them with bringing the sport into disrepute for the second time in 19 months.
Should McLaren escape the ultimate sanction of being thrown out the championship, there remains a real threat of Hamilton and team-mate Heikki Kovalainen being suspended from two or possibly three races.
The team could also be excluded from as many as six races in the constructors’ championship. Daily Mail
04/08/09 (GMM) It is possible McLaren will be banned from a number of races should the World Motor Sport Council take a dim view of the 'lie-gate' scandal at the April 29 meeting.
Bernie Ecclestone told the UK newspaper Express that the serious charge of lying to stewards and bringing the sport into disrepute is worsened by McLaren's recent trouble over espionage.
"It is never good for anyone if you are back in court quickly for something similar," the F1 chief executive said.
The FIA body has essentially unlimited powers: from race bans, total exclusion from the championship, to draconian financial penalties, like the $100m fine levied against McLaren in 2007 for spying.
Ecclestone admitted that McLaren figures lying to the stewards to have Jarno Trulli penalized amounted to "fraud".
"There are many options open if the charge sticks and it would be a terrible thing if any team were banned from races. But it could happen," he said.
In 2005, BAR-Honda was banned for two races for fielding a trick fuel tank.