Formula 1 News

McLaren thanks FIA Council for very fair hearing 

Shortly after the FIA World Motor Sport Council took the decision to suspend the 3-race ban penalty for the McLaren Mercedes F1 team over the misleading information provided at Melbourne and in breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code, the Woking based team issued a statement where it thanked the Council for the ‘very fair hearing‘.

The McLaren Mercedes statement read:

“McLaren accepts the FIA World Motor Sport Council’s decision and wishes to thank the FIA World Motor Sport Council members for the very fair hearing they have given us this morning.”

“We now look forward with enthusiasm to continuing our efforts to develop a closer and more co-operative relationship between ourselves and the FIA.”

“We will also continue to focus our efforts on closing the performance gap that exists between our car and the fastest cars.”

“Following Lewis Hamilton’s encouraging fourth place in Bahrain last Sunday, we are now optimistic that we will be able to play an increasingly competitive part in what is fast developing into a very exciting season of Formula 1 motor racing.”

McLaren’s Team Principal, Martin Whitmarsh, who faced this morning the FIA Council said: “I would like to thank the FIA World Motor Sport Council members for affording me the opportunity to answer their questions this morning. We are aware that we made serious mistakes in Australia and Malaysia, and I was therefore very glad to be able to apologise for those mistakes once again.”

“I was also pleased to be able to assure the FIA World Motor Sport Council members that we had taken appropriate action with a view to ensuring that such mistakes do not occur again,” he added.