LOL its the lawyer in me. I'm just saying that I think there is a lot more going and this scandal may be the tip of the iceberg. I still don't understand why the FIA and Ferrari haven't called up Stepney to testify yet. Somebody's afraid of what he will say and wants to delay that nugget of information until after the season is over.
It is common knowlege now that Alonshole is a complete goof and it looks like he had the Ferrari set up from the beginning and knew it otherwise what is he testifying to? obviously he knew from the start and If Lewis knew as well then shame on him but I have a very good feeling that he knew nothing and "IF" he was really using Alonsholes(Ferraris') set up and he didnt know about it then what would you expect Lewis to do? He is innocent but they should both lose their points because they were essentialy using illegal cars. Yes there are lots of teams that would like to have Alonshole as a driver but they are fewer now than last season at this time. There are probably a couple of teams that would have wanted Ferraris' 780 pages of technical information but are really glad they dont have it now. Ill bet the McCheater team dosnt wish they had Alonshole now. If the new evidence establishes wrongdoing by the McCheater team then there better be more than fines involved or F1 will be near finished as many will have lost all faith in the reason why we call it a RACE. It will become more of a world wrestling federation thing. Or as some call it a "scripted show".
According to the story it was only setup information regarding the F2007 and not the entire 780 page document that was emailed. We'll have to wait and see if this story is true though. Appears to only be a rumor at this stage. I for one hope it isn't true so Alonso doesn't get a way out of his contract and has to stay there and continue to get spanked by Hamilton...
I think it is a little bit more than a rumor. The story comes from one of the most respected automotive journals: Auto, Motor und Sport in Germany and has also been widely reported in the italian press. However, I agree that further confirmation is needed and therefore we may have to wait until September 13, 2007.
Is there a precedent for a team losing its' slot in F1 due to cheating? I think they will undoubtedly be excluded from the 2007 championship (constructor's and driver's), but I don't know if the FIA would go as far as dismantiling such a historically significant team. They can't ignore what occurred and must act decisively to punish the crime, but I have a hard time seeing them forcibly dismantle McLaren.
I see Ferrari getting the jump on tire info just from their previous Bridgestone experiance. Some of this may have been documented. Ferraris illegal flexible floor seems to have been documented or passed along otherwise. Both may have been in the Stepnetgate papers. And Mclaren are the Cheaters ! I'm going to have to buy a set of de la pink (rossa) colored glasses. I think and hope Mclarens demise may have been exagerated. Bernie is not going to kill one of the true golden geese. Or once again the seasons will become a Ferrari parade not a sporting event.
Well, they just might no do anything. It's all politics. they cut the baby in half last time: McCheaters guilty but not sufucient evidence to punish them. We found out what happened when McCheaters and Alonshole lied about the blocking of Lewis. Apparently, that is a bigger sin than stealing (or receiving stolen) secrets from another team (Ferrari). Perhaps Dennis the Menace and Mercedes protestations of how honest they are will come back to haunt them. I am not holding my breath. SF are trying to grease the skids by saying that they believe justice will be done (this time). Also, if FIA lowers the boom on the McCheaters, they will sue the FIA and it will get really ugly. So far FIA have not shown they have the testa-cajones do take meaningful steps to clean house. What they don't understand is that by trying to please everyone they please no one, the sport is tainted and it opens the door for more problems of cheating and spying in the future.
please Andreas, I have a bad heart as it is, don't scare me with these sort of hypotheticals funny how all the McCheater backers have gone to ground
Seems this season would have been a monumental waste of time if Mclaren is indeed guilty and their drivers are subsequently penalized WDC points... The FIA won't $h!t on Ferrari twice for this one. (Assuming Mclaren does not dissolve) How is it that Hamilton would be "available" to drive for another team simply because of the exclusion of Mclaren for 07 & 08? Does he presumably have the same clause in his contract as Alonso?
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/62097 As it turns out, Alonso and Delarosa have discussed Ferrari-setupinformation via email earlier this year...
http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns19605.html The letter sent by the FIA to the F1 teams has now come to light. This reveals that the federation is indeed focussing on the McLaren drivers. "As you will be aware, the FIA has recently investigated whether, how and to what extent McLaren was in possession of confidential Ferrari technical information," the letter says. "The FIA has subsequently been made aware of an allegation that one or more McLaren drivers may be in possession, or that such drivers have recently been in possession, of written evidence relevant to this investigation. In the interests of the sport and the Championship, it is important that the FIA, as the regulator, established unequivocally and rapidly whether this allegation has any basis in fact. The FIA therefore formally requests that you produce any documents which involve, relate to or were sent by or to any McLaren driver which may be in your possession or power of procurement and which may be relevant to this case. For these purposes,"documents" includes all written material such as e-mails, letters, electronic communications, text messages, notes, memoranda, drawings, diagrams, data or other material stored in any physical "hard copy" or electronic form. "In particular (though without limiting the generality of this request) the FIA wishes to receive copies of any electronic communications (howsoever conveyed or stored) which may be relevant to this case and which make reference to Ferrari, Nigel Stepney or any technical or other information coming from, or connected with, either Ferrari or Mr Stepney. In the event that you are aware of the previous existence of any document falling within the above description and are not in a position to produce it, please describe the content of the document in question, the circumstances under which it came to your knowledge and the reasons why you are unable to produce it. "In the event that you are unsure as to whether any document falls within the above description, kindly submit it (or a description of it) and the FIA will assist in making a determination. You will appreciate that there is a duty on all of those involved in our sport to ensure the fairness and legitimacy of the Formula 1 World Championship. It is therefore imperative that if do you have any such information, you make it available to us as soon as possible. "We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience. Thank you very much for your cooperation." We understand that the three McLaren drivers also received slightly amended versions of the same letter. The important point is not however the FIA request but rather the responses that were received and these will only become available after the World Council meeting next week - if at all.
One of the things that bothers me is how McCheater kept saying that they had nothing and knew nothing then it came to light by Coughlan or Stepney(cant remember which one) that at least 3 or 4 McCheater employees had also seen the documents but they never mentioned the drivers. Getting the truth out of McCheater is like pulling teeth out of a live tiger. Im sure that the FIA is getting fed up with the constant lies coming from the whole McCheater team including Lucifer and the team actions in Hungary. If I was McCheater I would come clean with everything now and not be found holding back more in the future. Can you imagine the consequences if they found an actual Ferrari aero or mechanical design on the McCheater car in the future. Remember that there are REAL court cases(not 1 day hearings) in England and Italy that will turn up a lot more than we know now. The punishment could keep growing as more come to light over the winter months. This is why I dont think the FIA will exclude McCheater from next season. If they were to do that now and if and when (more likely the later) more evidence was to come out as a result of other investigations or court proceedings then the FIA would have to go one step further which could mean the end of the team McCheater. Below I have attatched a pic from Sept 13th of Ron Dennis being questioned by the FIA and I think we all know his answer. lol Image Unavailable, Please Login
I'm trying hard on here not to wear pink glasses and as a consequence my tifosi moniker has been questioned. So be it. But if the allegations are all true and sensitive Ferrari information was fair game within the McLaren F1 team, I'd really like to see a draconian punishment coming down on that team. While I'm no McLaren fan, I have respect for a worthy opponent and can live with the fact that they beat "us" from time to time. I have no problem with Lewis or Alonso winning the title this year. BUT: If they truly cheated the way it is portrayed now, then they should be simply thrown out of the championship. This year and next. As for next season: Alonso back in the Renault could make for a good challenger. Also Hamilton in the Prodrive (thinly disguised McLaren 08) could go for points. It wouldn't be a given walk in the park for Kimi. PS: Threads merged.
Blick's Roger Benoit thinks that next Thursday McLaren will be thrown out of the 2007 championship. But he doesn't mention 2008. http://www.blick.ch/sport/formel1/silberpfeilen-droht-wm-ausschluss-70860 Probably what's going to happen. Oh well, so I loose a bottle of wine, but first can bring out the Champagne to celebrate: KIMI, WDC 2007!
I think that the FIA MUST punish M-M, and its drivers right now, for the good of the sport. Here's why: You can't "un-ring" a bell. If LH and Alonzo go on to win the driver's championship on track this year, it would be useless to take away the title after the fact. Think about those college basketball games with Chris Webber at Michigan. After Webber was found to have taken money from an agent, Michigan forfeited those games years later, and took all their banners down. Do you think that, say, the players at Georgia Tech now celebrate their "win" over Michigan. Having an on-track champion removed as champion AFTER the matter is settled on track is meaningless to the fans. Also, it is good to see that poppinjay, Rubber Dick, um, Ron Dennis, simmer a little.
Allegedly the 3 McLaren drivers were offered in August full immunity by the FIA in exchange of complete disclosure of all they knew about this affair, including emails etc.
Fernando Alonso at Monza responds: "It's a lie, let me race...I will not talk about anything that is not related to this race". He further adds: "If the team will be penalized, I will be too. We are here to win, both the driver's and constructor's championship and everybody in the team is concentrated on this objective. According to the spanish newspaper AS, both Alonso and De la Rosa sent the FIA emails with information regarding the spygate scandal in return receiving immunity. .
The best that can come out of this messed up season is how good a rookie driver can be in a Mc/FS car.. Winning it now seems a fruitless exercise..hollow or cheated victory take your pick.