> Mosley wanted drivers to lose points

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso would have been thrown out of the drivers’ world championship if Max Mosley’s view had prevailed in the ‘spygate’ ruling, the FIA president revealed on Sunday.

The governing body’s World Council instead contented itself with disqualifying McLaren from the constructors’ title race and levying the largest fine in sporting history.

Mosley says he advocated extending the punishment to the drivers, but was in a minority on the WMSC panel.

“I would have taken all the points away from Hamilton and Alonso on the grounds that there is a suspicion they had an advantage that they should not have had,” Mosley explained.

“There was a big debate in the World Council about whether all the points should go – teams and drivers.

“A majority thought they should keep their points, [but] about five – mostly lawyers – thought all the points should go.

“They argued, how can you give the world champion’s cup to someone who may have had an unfair advantage over other drivers?

“They have effectively cheated.

“But the other side of it was, here is this brilliant world championship between Hamilton and Alonso.

“The sporting people were saying, ‘If you interfere with that, you are spoiling a very good championship. It wasn’t the drivers’ fault.’

“But there again, it never is.

“Very often, for example, a car will be disqualified because it is a kilo underweight, which will probably make no difference at all.

“But you have to have this principle.

“It’s the same as anywhere else: If you’re outside of the rules, you are not in the game.”

Mosley added that, should Hamilton or Alonso win the title, a question mark would forever hang over their achievement.

Asked whether he was disappointed by the verdict, he said: “Slightly. I feel that when people look back in 10 to 15 years’ time and when all of the emotions have gone, they will say, ‘Hang on a minute, we just don’t know what would have happened. Would Raikkonen or Massa have won it had it not been for this information?’

“So there will always be a question mark over it – there has to be, because nobody knows how big an advantage they had from that.

“But that they had an advantage is almost beyond dispute.”

The FIA president ventured that Hamilton, who has a real chance of clinching the title in his rookie season, would “probably feel more comfortable if he wins a subsequent championship, which I am sure he will, without any of these question marks”.

Hamilton took umbrage at the suggestion that a title victory by one of the McLaren drivers would be tainted, insisting he would be a worthy winner.

“I don’t have anything to say to or about Max Mosley,” he said.

“We’ve all worked hard this year and the way I feel is that the team has done absolutely nothing wrong and neither have I.

“I don’t see why people should say that if I win, it’s a tainted championship.”

Source: itv-f1