Ron Dennis likened his Italian Grand Prix weekend to a
"difficult, emotional rollercoaster" and even as he said it, the
McLaren boss knew that the stomach-churning ride was far from
over.
Among many twists and turns, another vertiginous drop awaits at
a hearing of Formula One's governing body in Paris on Thursday.
Ron Dennis (left) and Lewis
Hamilton celebrate at the Monza racetrack on Sunday in Monza, after
the Italian Formula One Grand Prix.
The meeting of the International Automobile Federation World
Motor Sport Council, the FIA's top sporting body, will consider new
evidence against McLaren in a long-running spying controversy with
Ferrari.
If found to have benefited from a dossier of Ferrari technical
information seized from the home of their suspended chief designer
Mike Coughlan, McLaren could be kicked out of this and next year's
championship.
The elation of the Mercedes-powered team's historic one-two at
Monza, their first in Ferrari's backyard, could turn to
despair.
Even if that worst case scenario does not happen, there are many
who suspect that the championship leaders will be stripped of some
or all of their constructors' points.
What happens to the drivers, with 22-year-old British rookie
Lewis Hamilton leading Spanish double world champion team mate
Fernando Alonso by just three points in the standings with four
races to go, is another burning question.
The irony for Dennis, a self-made multi-millionaire who started
out as a mechanic with Cooper-Maserati in 1966, is that all this is
happening just when there should be so much to celebrate.
After failing to win a race last year, McLaren has taken seven
of the 13 grand prix to date and have two great drivers jousting in
one of the most thrilling championships in years.
Integrity questioned
Dennis, caught wiping away tears as well as champagne in a rare
show of emotion after Sunday's win, has seen the integrity of his
team questioned as they spiral from crisis to crisis. His own
future at the helm has been called into doubt.
First there was the deteriorating relationship between Hamilton
and Alonso, who had hoped to be No 1 but instead found himself
upstaged by the novice.
Then there was the debacle of Hungary, with the team stripped of
15 constructors' points after Alonso impeded Hamilton in
qualifying.
Last weekend there was a US$50,000 fine for the use in Hungary
of a gearbox that had not passed a crash test and the appearance of
Italian magistrates in the paddock to notify senior McLaren
management that they were under investigation.
McLaren cannot claim it has not made mistakes. Even if Coughlan
was acting as a rogue element for his own benefit, there is no
denying that he had 780 pages of highly confidential Ferrari
information.
What is in question is how deep that went into the team, despite
McLaren's assurances that none was incorporated into their
cars.
Strained relations
The personalities of key players, and historic rivalries and
animosity, add another twist to the drama.
It is no secret that FIA President Max Mosley, whose easy
aristocratic charm masks a steely determination, and fellow-Briton
Dennis do not come high on each other's Christmas card lists.
"Many Formula One insiders believe that the issues surrounding
the stolen Ferrari technical data are emblematic of the strained
personal relationship between Dennis and Max Mosley," was how
experienced commentator Alan Henry put it in the Guardian
newspaper on Tuesday.
Dennis was asked at Monza whether he felt McLaren were being
victimized. The 60-year-old avoided the question, careful not to
lend credence to any suggestion of a vendetta. He made clear also
that he would not be forced into retirement.
In the past, paddock wags have suggested that FIA stands for
'Ferrari International Assistance' and triple champion and former
team owner Jackie Stewart alluded to that perceived influence.
"The FIA have historically been very close to Ferrari and closer
to them than anyone else," he said.
"It seems that some of the most powerful people in this sport
are more aligned to Ferrari than anybody else."
Rival team owner Frank Williams was more circumspect: "I won't
use the word witch-hunt, but there is enormous tenacity to find out
what happened," he said of the governing body's handling of the
enquiry.
An FIA spokesman said such comments were to be expected but
referred back to the evidence.
"This enquiry was triggered by a letter of complaint from
Ferrari which was, in turn, triggered by the extraordinary
discovery of 780 pages of their most confidential technical
information in the hands of McLaren's chief designer," he said.
"Under the circumstances, the suggestion that the FIA's ongoing
investigation is about anything other than the pursuit of sporting
fairness demonstrates a blinding refusal to accept the basic
facts."
(China Daily via Agencies September 13, 2007)
