Mounting trouble for McLaren and Hamilton

Apr 8, 2009, 14:08 GMT

Hamburg - McLaren-Mercedes and their world champion Lewis Hamilton face additional punishment for misleading race stewards at the Australian Formula One Grand Prix and an image disaster as well.

McLaren were on Tuesday 'invited' to appear before the World Motor Sport Council of the ruling body FIA on April 29 on five charges of bringing the sports into disrepute.

A big fine or exclusion for upcoming races are possible sanctions in the affair in which the team and the driver lied at the Melbourne race.

While The Times suggested on Wednesday that Hamilton may escape unharmed, another British paper, The Independent, titled 'McLaren may be banned for season.'

Speculation was also growing in the media that Hamilton is considering his future at the team, with Germany's Bild daily claiming on Wednesday that Mercedes motorsport Norbert Haug convinced him not to quit the team immediately last weekend.

According to a blog on the website of British daily The Guardian, McLaren and Hamilton face far more than sanctions.

Titled 'McLaren may care to consider why honesty still matters in sport,' the blog said that 'deception and/or cheating off the pitch or the track is regarded more seriously than anything you do on it in the heat of battle.

'Success at all costs is a seductive mantra but it does not guarantee universal admiration and lifelong respect ... True champions, like it or not, are not purely measured by weight of silverware. The best have a humanity and generosity of spirit which defines them more surely than anything on their mantelpiece.'

In Melbourne on March 29, Hamilton first overtook Jarno Trulli, who slid off the track, during a safety car phase. He then let the Italian Toyota driver pass again for the original race order.

Overtaking is prohibited when the safety car is out and Trulli lost third place to Hamilton in the race when he was docked 25 seconds for his manoeuvre after McLaren and Hamilton said they had not deliberately let Trulli pass again.

However, team radio revealed that Hamilton and McLaren sports director Dave Ryan talked about allowing Trulli ahead again. Hamilton was disqualified on Thursday from the Australia race by the FIA, while McLaren suspended Ryan the same day and then sacked him Tuesday after 35 years at McLaren.

Hamilton apologised on Friday at the Malaysian Grand Prix, saying 'I am not a liar' and 'I was misled.'

In its summons, the FIA put the blame more on McLaren than Hamilton, saying McLaren twice 'procured' Hamilton to give false testimony to the Melbourne race stewards.

'On 2 April, 2009, at a second hearing before the stewards of the Australian Grand Prix (meeting in Malaysia) (McLaren) made no attempt to correct the untrue statement of 29 March but, on the contrary, continued to maintain that the statement was true, despite being allowed to listen to a recording of the team instructing Hamilton to let Trulli past and despite being given more than one opportunity to correct its false statement,' the FIA said.

Hamilton's future at the team is considered uncertain, with the media world abuzz about former team boss Ron Dennis allegedly pulling the strings behind the scenes and opposing any kind of apology from Hamilton.

Dennis, who was Hamilton's mentor for years, stepped down as team principle earlier this year with Mark Whitmarsh, whose role has also been questioned, taking his place.

The affair comes two years after McLaren were fined 100 million dollars and expelled from the 2007 constructors championship over a spying affair.

It also comes at a time when the team is badly struggling on the track, with Hamilton's seventh-place finish on Sunday in Malaysia their only championship points from two races.