- 23 Oct 07, 23:23#20269
My take on it:
Mclaren were found guilty and had to be penalised, the penalty for whatever they did was total exclusion for this season and next but if McLaren had been kicked out halfway through the season it would've handed Ferrari both championships for both seasons which would've been disasterous for the sport. A deal was made (possibly without even Max knowing or having any influence as he stated publicly he thought it was far too lenient although that could've been an act on his part) for Mclaren to keep running their cars on the track for the sake of the sport and to some degree the sponsors but with effective exclusion from both championships, the deal being that if they won the drivers championship there would be 'new evidence' and McLaren would be excluded from the 2008 season.
Since Alonso is probably not going to be driving a McLaren next year and he wouldn't mind seeing that happening (and with the lure of the title) McLaren wouldn't be able to trust him in the way they could trust Hamilton whos whole life at the moment is McLaren and who is certain to remain with them for some time which is why only Hamilton went to the hearing in Paris.
After the deal was made at the hearing, Alonso, unaware of anything, started complaining of having minor car problems and a breakdown in relations with the team while Hamilton continued to hold onto the lead. The final two races gave Hamilton two chances to secure the title but failed both times due to strange errors and decisions which could very easily be engineered with the FIA watching very closely just to make sure.
Mclaren were found guilty and had to be penalised, the penalty for whatever they did was total exclusion for this season and next but if McLaren had been kicked out halfway through the season it would've handed Ferrari both championships for both seasons which would've been disasterous for the sport. A deal was made (possibly without even Max knowing or having any influence as he stated publicly he thought it was far too lenient although that could've been an act on his part) for Mclaren to keep running their cars on the track for the sake of the sport and to some degree the sponsors but with effective exclusion from both championships, the deal being that if they won the drivers championship there would be 'new evidence' and McLaren would be excluded from the 2008 season.
Since Alonso is probably not going to be driving a McLaren next year and he wouldn't mind seeing that happening (and with the lure of the title) McLaren wouldn't be able to trust him in the way they could trust Hamilton whos whole life at the moment is McLaren and who is certain to remain with them for some time which is why only Hamilton went to the hearing in Paris.
After the deal was made at the hearing, Alonso, unaware of anything, started complaining of having minor car problems and a breakdown in relations with the team while Hamilton continued to hold onto the lead. The final two races gave Hamilton two chances to secure the title but failed both times due to strange errors and decisions which could very easily be engineered with the FIA watching very closely just to make sure.
To use my phone in the car I deleted all my German contacts, it's now Hans free.
