FIA steward Joaquin Verdegay says McLaren should not be penalised for employing allegedly illegal ‘team orders’ in the weekend’s Monaco grand prix — but F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone does not agree.
The Woking based outfit led by Ron Dennis is currently under investigation by F1’s governing body, after Fernando Alonso and teammate Lewis Hamilton were asked to safely finish in that order in the Principality last Sunday.
McLaren’s tactics have already been defended as “wise” by triple world champion Sir Jackie Stewart, while Spaniard Verdegay told the broadcaster Telecinco: “For me, there is no irregularity (that needs to be punished).”
Verdegay, who was involved in the decision last year to penalise Michael Schumacher for ‘parking’ his Ferrari during qualifying at Monaco, said any team order issued by McLaren would have been “minor”, in order to ensure that neither driver recklessly crashed on the way to the finish.
A writer for the Spanish newspaper Diario As, meanwhile – Carlos Miquel – offered a third opinion in support of the beleaguered McLaren team.
Referring to the decision to investigate Dennis’ team, he wrote: “With the exception of some Britons, there is not a single person on the planet who can see the (FIA’s) logic in this.”
Countering Verdegay and Stewart, however, F1 supremo Ecclestone reckons McLaren should indeed be punished — and the maximum possible penalty is total exclusion from the sport.
Recalling Ferrari’s $1m fine after the Austrian GP in 2002, the 76-year-old told the Daily Mail: “If there were orders, they would be getting off lightly if they get the same sort of fine as Ferrari.
“A fine for McLaren, with its money, would not have the same effect as docking points.”
Ecclestone, whose opinion is also shared by 1996 world champion Damon Hill, added that McLaren – if found guilty – would have committed a “more serious” offence than Turkish officials last year, who got a record $5m fine for politicising the podium ceremony.
A decision is expected to be reached in advance of the next grand prix, which takes place in Canada on 10 June.
