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McLaren fined !!!!

McLaren have been excluded from the 2007 constructors’ championship and fined US$100 million following Thursday’s FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) hearing in Paris. Drivers Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton have not been penalized and are free to continue their fight for the drivers' title.

The penalty follows McLaren’s admission that the team was in breach of the International Sporting Code through their possession of confidential technical data belonging to rivals Ferrari, who are now all but assured of the 2007 constructors’ title.

McLaren are also required to submit detailed plans of their 2008 car to the FIA, who warned that it could apply further sanctions relating to next season should any irregularities be found in the car’s design.

At July’s original hearing, the Council opted not to punish McLaren as it decided there was no proof that the Ferrari data had been used. Thursday’s second hearing followed the emergence of new evidence and the FIA’s request for McLaren’s drivers to submit any information they had that might be relevant to the case.

The FIA will explain the reasons behind the Council's decision on Friday, after which McLaren will decide whether or not to appeal.

The full statement from the FIA:

In an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council was held in Paris on the 12th of September 2007, The following decision was taken:

"The WMSC has stripped Vodafone McLaren Mercedes of all constructors' points in the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championshiop an the team can score no point for the remainder of the season *.

"Furthermore, the team will pay a fine equal to 100 million dollar, less the FOM income lost as a result of the points deduction.

"However, due to the exceptional circumstances in which the FIA gave the team's drivers an immunity in return for providing evidence, there is no penalty in regards to drivers' points **.

"The WMSC will receive a full technical report on the 2008 McLaren car and will take a decision at its December 2007 meeting as to what sanction, if any, will be imposed on the team for the 2008 season."

The full reasons for this decision will be issued on the 14th September 2007.

* Points gained by other teams so far this season will not be affected.

** No McLaren representative will be allowed on the podium should a McLaren driver win any of the remaining races of the 2007 season.

Keep an eye on Alonso ! He might leave Mclaren by the end of this season !

As if they did not already have enough to worry about, Formula One leader McLaren could face the real risk of Fernando Alonso walking out at the end of the season.

With the double World champion seemingly no longer on speaking terms with 22-year-old British rookie Lewis Hamilton after a turbulent Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, the speculation was rife.

“One thing’s for sure, Alonso won’t be at McLaren next year,” a senior figure at another team told Reuters at the Hungaroring. While nothing is certain in Formula One, other than that there will always be int rigue and speculation, the sentiment was strong enough for team boss Ron Dennis to face questions about the Spaniard’s future.

“There is inevitability that these things are rumoured and discussed in other teams,” he told reporters after a race that saw Alonso stripped of pole position and demoted five places on the starting grid.

“We have two drivers who are contracted for several years into the future,” said Dennis, who pulled off a coup in signing Alonso from Renault at the end of 2005, with the Spaniard joining a year later.

“We will respect our part of that bargain and that part of the situation. We hope that the drivers respect theirs because that’s what a contract is about.”

Hamilton’s astonishing debut has unsettled the champion, who had hoped to arrive at McLaren as the saviour after a 2006 season without any wins for the Mercedes-powered team.

Hamilton overcomes Kimi's challenge to win Hungarian GP !

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton took a dramatic revenge on team mate Fernando Alonso at the Hungaroring on Sunday afternoon, leading throughout the Hungarian Grand Prix to extend his world championship points lead to seven over the Spaniard, who could do no better than fourth place.

Hamilton jumped into the lead at the start, but soon came intense pressure from Kimi Raikkonen as the Ferrari indeed proved a lot better in race trim than it had in qualifying.

Raikkonen easily got the drop on front-row starter Nick Heidfeld in the BMW Sauber, but couldn’t quite muster the pace to challenge Hamilton, even though in traffic at times the gap between them was no more than half a second. The final laps were gripping as they duelled, while some 40 seconds back, Heidfeld was challenged by Alonso but similarly had little trouble keeping the McLaren driver at bay to score the second podium of BMW Sauber’s season.
Fifth place fell to Heidfeld’s team mate Robert Kubica, who made a great start and enjoyed excellent pit work from his team, while Ralf Schumacher hung in there for sixth for Toyota ahead of Nico Rosberg in the Williams. Like Heidfeld, Rosberg made three stops, the third dropping him back from fifth place.

The final point went to Heikki Kovalainen after a feisty race for Renault, from Red Bull’s Mark Webber. Toyota’s Jarno Trulli was a lapped 10th ahead of David Coulthard in the second Red Bull, while 12th was the subject of an intense fight between Renault’s Giancarlo Fisichella, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Alex Wurz in the Williams, who finished in that order.

Takuma Sato was 15th for Super Aguri ahead of Toro Rosso debutant Sebastian Vettel, Adrian Sutil who had several off-track adventures in his Spyker, and a very unhappy Rubens Barrichello for Honda.

Vitantonio Liuzzi retired his Toro Rosso with mechanical problems, as did Jenson Button his Honda, while Anthony Davidson spun his Super Aguri after a clash with Fisichella, and Sakon Yamamoto lightly shunted his Spyker.

The victory gives Hamilton his third success of the season and 80 points, to Alonso’s 73, Raikkonen’s 60 and Massa’s 59. In the constructors’ championship, McLaren retain their lead over Ferrari but by a reduced 19-point margin following the FIA edict that they should not score constructors’ points in Hungary as penalty for Saturday’s qualifying incident. That decision could yet be overturned on appeal.

Latest Drivers Standings : Click here

Latest Constructors Standings : Click Here

"Match of the Century" to be held at Venetian Arena on November 24th

The ultimate exhibition between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras will take place on Saturday November 24th, at the Venetian Arena, Macao. Make sure not to miss this showdown between two of the best tennis players of our time.

I am not a big believer of stats. That said, there are several interesting coincidences about the careers of Pete and Roger. And unsuprising it is. Though they have vastly different approach to tennis as well as slams, here is an attempt to celebrate the coincidences rather than as a comparison between them.

Sampras and Federer were both born in August ten years apart. Federer's birthday is August 08, 1981, while Sampras's is August 12, 1971. And the grandslams make up this way too. For example, Federer won Wimbledon 2005 at the age of 23, while Sampras won Wimbledon 1995, at the same age of 23. And so on.. get the drift?