Formula One's governing body cleared the McLaren team of any
wrongdoing yesterday in its 1-2 finish at the Monaco Grand
Prix.
FIA opened an investigation Monday into possible rules
violations after the team ordered Lewis Hamilton not to challenge
Fernando Alonso in Sunday's race. Alonso finished first, 4.095
seconds ahead of Hamilton.
FIA dropped the case Wednesday after studying the radio traffic
between the team and its drivers and the FIA observer's report from
the race.
"It is clear that McLaren's actions during the 2007 Monaco Grand
Prix were entirely legitimate and no further action is necessary,"
FIA said in a statement.?
FIA banned so-called "team orders" after Rubens Barrichello was
told by Ferrari to allow teammate Michael Schumacher to pass him to
win the 2002 Austrian GP. Ferrari was fined US$1 million.
McLaren team principal Ron Dennis said after Sunday's race he
asked Hamilton to slow down because of the tight street circuit in
Monte Carlo.
FIA ruled Wednesday that the team and drivers did nothing
wrong.
"It is standard procedure for a team to tell its drivers to slow
down when they have a substantial lead," the statement said. "This
is in order to minimize the risk of technical or other problems. It
is also standard practice and entirely reasonable to ask the
drivers not to put each other at risk.
"McLaren were able to pursue an optimum team strategy because
they had a substantial advantage over all other cars. They did
nothing which could be described as interfering with the race
result."
Alonso, the two-time defending F1 champion, and Hamilton, a
rookie driver, are tied atop the standings with 38 points after
five races. McLaren leads the constructors' championship with 75
points, ahead of Ferrari with 56.
"A lot of people in England will feel there is some favoritism
or penalty that is given to Lewis, but we are scrupulously fair at
all times in the grand prix team," Dennis said earlier this week.
"I don't like to slow drivers down, I don't like them to be
frustrated, I don't like to see these things happen because I am an
absolute racer, but it is the way you have to win the Monaco Grand
Prix."
Hamilton said Sunday he understood why he was asked to slow
down, but was not entirely comfortable with it.
"There was no point in pressuring (Alonso) into a mistake, and
then when he did make a mistake, crash into him. So it was best to
finish one-two," Hamilton said. "But to be honest, I pushed as I
could to the end. I never give up, no matter what, and so I didn't
really take too much notice and I kept going."
(China Daily via Agencies May 31, 2007)