McLaren issues written apologies to the FIA

Martin Whitmarsh, the director of the McLaren team, has issued a written apology to the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) regarding the behavior of his team in the lying incident. The information reported by the Reuters news agency has been confirmed by both parties.

The case, which had found McLaren and Hamilton guilty of concealing facts and lying, is set to conclude on April 29 during a meeting of the FIA Council (the WMSC). Meanwhile, the team had been disqualified from the Australian Grand Prix, the scene of the incident. Hamilton had overtaken Trulli under the Safety Car and let the Italian be accused in his stead.

« We are cooperating with the FIA. I wrote to Max [Mosley – FIA President] but before April 29, I cannot say anything about the content of this letter. There will be no leaks before then. »

In the meantime, the English team did everything to show the FIA that it had responded to the matter and that the problem would not occur again.

The team thus fired Dave Ryan, Hamilton’s race director who allegedly encouraged him to lie and hide the truth. Lewis Hamilton’s apologies were also organized through a press conference in Malaysia, while McLaren, with Whitmarsh, apologized to the team’s shareholders and their engine supplier, Mercedes.

Many rumors indeed imagined the German manufacturer leaving Formula 1 following this story, leaving three teams in the lurch. Rumors eventually buried.

Finally, Whitmarsh had admitted in China that he wanted to start a new era of cooperation with the FIA, establishing healthier relationships, particularly with Ron Dennis and Max Mosley, who were too personally involved.

« Well, everyone who has followed F1 for a few years can realize that it would be healthy for everyone to have a more positive relationship between our two groups [McLaren and the FIA]. We need to reestablish the ties we had in the past… » Commented Whitmarsh after the Chinese Grand Prix.

On April 29th, the team risks, for the more pessimistic, exclusion from the constructors’ championship. Nevertheless, the latest elements suggest that a simple warning will be given to Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes having threatened to leave Formula 1 depending on the decision made by the next Council.