McLaren hauled before FIA council

McLaren face the threat of serious sanctions after being summoned to appear before an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Paris on April 29.

The team are deemed to be in breach of the FIA's International Sporting Code relating to the recent 'lie-gate' saga surrounding world champion Lewis Hamilton's exclusion from the Australian Grand Prix.

It is the third time McLaren have been hauled before the WMSC in less than two years, with the last hearing resulting in the Woking-based team being handed a sporting record £49.2million fine following the 'spy-gate' furore.

McLaren are accused of being in specific breach of Article 151c of the sporting code, relating to 'any fraudulent conduct, or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally.'

In an FIA statement, McLaren are to answer charges that:

- On 29 March, 2009, told the stewards of the Australian Grand Prix that no instructions were given to Hamilton in car No. 1 to allow (Jarno) Trulli in car no. 9 to pass when both cars were behind the safety car, knowing this statement to be untrue.

- Procured its driver, Hamilton, the current world champion, to support and confirm this untrue statement to the stewards.

- Although knowing that as a direct result of its untrue statement to the stewards, another driver and a rival team had been unfairly penalised, made no attempt to rectify the situation either by contacting the FIA or otherwise.

- On 2 April, 2009, at a second hearing before the stewards of the Australian Grand Prix, (meeting in Malaysia) made no attempt to correct the untrue statement of 29 March but, on the contrary, continued to maintain the statement was true, despite being allowed to listen to a recording of the team instructing Hamilton to let Trulli past, and despite being given more than one opportunity to correct its false statement.

- On 2 April, 2009, at the second stewards' hearing, procured its driver Hamilton to continue to assert the truth of the false statement given to the stewards on 29 March, while knowing what he was saying to the stewards was not true.