McLaren disqualified from Australian Grand Prix..!

The McLaren team has been disqualfied from the Australian Grand Prix following a detailed stewards' investigation into the incident involving the Englishman and Jarno Trulli on Sunday; the World Champion passed the Toyota under safety car conditions as the Italian ran off the circuit, before then slowing to allow Trulli to retake his position.

For repassing the McLaren, the Toyota driver was handed with a 25-second time penalty which resulted in him losing both his podium position and indeed any chance of points, as the tightly packed field finished the race under the safety car. As Toyota withdrew what would be a seemingly hopeless appeal this week, Trulli reminded onlookers of his version of events: "When the safety car came out towards the end of the race, Lewis Hamilton passed me but soon after he suddenly slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. I thought he had a problem, so I overtook him as there was nothing else I could do."

Hamilton admitted to passing the Toyota as it ran across the grass at Turn 15, subsequently explaining that his team then instructed him to yield to Trulli. "I was behind Trulli under the safety car, and clearly you're not allowed to overtake under the safety car but he went off in the second to last corner," he explained to SpeedTV on Sunday. "He went wide and onto the grass, I guess his tyres were cold. I slowed down as much as I could, but was forced to go by. I was then told to let him back past, but I don't know if that's in the regulations and, if it isn't, I should really have had third."

Despite those comments, however, the stewards claim that Hamilton made no mention of this during their post-race investigation into the incident just minutes later, stating that he infact did not slow down to allow the Toyota to retake the place. Having received a recording of McLaren's radio broadcast during the race, the FIA has removed entire team from the final results of the race for providing 'deliberately misleading' information. This includes the second driver, Heikki Kovalainen, who will effectively not suffer the consequences having retired at the end of the first lap.

The governing body has also lifted Trulli's penalty, which places the Toyota driver back into the third position he originally achieved in Australia.

Formula One news: McLaren disqualified from Australian Grand Prix - GPUpdate.net Formula One
Hamilton disqualified from Aussie GP results - Planet-F1 News - from planet-f1.com
The Official Formula 1 Website


I say, WTF...!!! Can't the stewards investigate properly before handing over judgements and penalties..! The first race of the 2009 season itself appears to be a drama..

Hamilton has been excluded from the results and Trulli reinstated..

The Official Formula 1 Website

What a disastrous start to the F1 season after a race that was actually very good.
What took them so long. And what kind of stupid professionalism is this? If they took a decision at the end of the race, how can they reverse it 4 days on saying something came up and they now have new evidence.

What were they doing initially. Lameness++

Not just Hamilton, they have kicked out Mclaren totally. How about kicking the stewards who carried the lameness in the first place.

I don't see how they can believe "Trulli" and not "Hamilton" then?

Hahahaha!! What a bunch of losers! They need to either copy someone else's car to win or lie!

They won last year only because it was a copy of the Ferrari. Last year, they couldnt copy the car and see where they are this year!

^^ I don't know what Hamilton lied about. Hamilton has been repeatedly quoted as saying that he had instructions from the team to slow down and let Trulli pass. So what's the lie here..?

Hamilton admitted to passing the Toyota as it ran across the grass at Turn 15, subsequently explaining that his team then instructed him to yield to Trulli. "I was behind Trulli under the safety car, and clearly you're not allowed to overtake under the safety car but he went off in the second to last corner," he explained to SpeedTV on Sunday. "He went wide and onto the grass, I guess his tyres were cold. I slowed down as much as I could, but was forced to go by. I was then told to let him back past, but I don't know if that's in the regulations and, if it isn't, I should really have had third."

Why did the stewards ignore this..? Its a disappointment that the season opener should be surrounded by so much controversies.

Originally Posted by Nikhil

Hahahaha!! What a bunch of losers! They need to either copy someone else's car to win or lie!

They won last year only because it was a copy of the Ferrari. Last year, they couldnt copy the car and see where they are this year!

There has never been a lie here.
hamilton has mantained his line from day 1. How the race stewards got this brainstorm beats me

amazing start to the season.

I wounder how many races will be decided in courtrooms and hearings

Thanks i missed then race, no need to worry about it as no one who finished were left barring brawns

Formula One news: FIA gives reasons for McLaren disqualification - GPUpdate.net Formula One

Governing body the FIA has explained the reasons for which it excluded World Champion Lewis Hamilton and his McLaren team from last weekend's Australian Grand Prix. Although Heikki Kovalainen retired from the race on lap one, both cars were declared as disqualified on grounds of the team providing race stewards with 'misleading information'.

The governing body stated that - during the original enquiry after the race - Hamilton and his team explained to the stewards that they had not deliberately let Trulli retake third position, after the Toyota had run across the grass during the safety car period. However, in an interview captured by America's SpeedTV just minutes before the World Champion attended race control, Hamilton explained that his team had given him the order to let the Toyota through.

The FIA stressed that the reason the team is now disqualified is that 'misleading information' was given, as the radio recordings from the race contain 'two explicit orders' asking the driver to yield the position.

The final decision was clear: 'The stewards - having learned about the radio exchanges and the media interview - felt strongly that they had been misled by the driver and his team manager, which led to Jarno Trulli being unfairly penalised and Lewis Hamilton gaining third place.'

So it seems Hamilton had not mentioned about his team orders to the stewards, but he had openly accepted about the same to the media.. Now, thats ridiculous. Why would anyone do that is beyond my reasoning. If this is the real reason, Hamilton and McLaren deserve to be disqualified and maybe even barred for the entire season, just for being plain stuuuuuupid..!

Ok. More updates.. This time it is the entire transcript of the conversation between the team and Hamilton.

Formula One news: McLaren radio conversation released by FIA - GPUpdate.net Formula One

The FIA has made public the radio conversation which took place between the McLaren team and driver Lewis Hamilton during the final stages of the Austrlian Grand Prix. We pick up the dialogue shortly after the Englishman has passed Jarno Trulli's Toyota, as the confusion begins to unfold.

Transcript of McLaren radio communication:

Phil Prew (race engineer to Hamilton): OK Lewis, you should need to make sure your delta is positive over the safety car line. After the safety car line the delta doesn't matter but no overtaking. No overtaking.

Lewis Hamilton: The Toyota went off in a line at the second corner and I overtook him...is that OK?

PP: Understood, Lewis. We'll confirm and get back to you.

LH: He was off the track. He went wide.

PP: Lewis, you need to allow the Toyota through. Allow the Toyota through now.

LH: OK.

LH: He's slowed right down in front of me.

PP: OK, Lewis. Stay ahead for the time being. Stay ahead. We will get back to you. We are talking to Charlie (Whiting, race director).

LH: I've let him past already.

PP: OK, Lewis. That's fine. That's fine. Hold position. Hold position.

LH: Tell Charlie I already overtook him. I just let him past.

PP: I understand Lewis. We are checking. Now can we go to yellow G 5, yellow Golf 5.

LH: I don't have to let him past I should be able to take that position back, if he made a mistake.

PP: Yes, we understand Lewis. Let's just do it by the book. We are asking Charlie now. You are in P4. If you hold this position. Just keep it together.

PP: OK Lewis, your KERS is full, your KERS is full. Just be aware. You can go back to black F2, black Foxtrott 2.

LH: Any news from Charlie whether I can take it back or not?

PP: Still waiting on a response Lewis, still waiting.

PP: Lewis, work on your brakes please. Front brakes are cold.

PP: If we are able to use one KERS that would be good. If you deploy KERS please do so now.

PP: OK, Lewis, this is the last lap of the race. At the end of the lap the safety car will come in, you just proceed over the line without overtaking, without overtaking. We are looking into the Trulli thing, but just hold position.

Listen to the audio from here: http://dl.groovygecko.net/anon.groov...udio_final.mp3

hamilton is clearly asking if he ran wide and the guys are telling him to wait. Clearly trulli ran off the track and so it was natural that Ham should ask whether to pass him and as such it was natural for him to do so as he can't just go dead on the engine waiting for Trulli.

Imo he then asked whats the reason for Trulli going off and if it was a mistak eon his part then he should overtake. He in the end lets him through.

Err so whats the point here. The guy ran wide and off and should have lost place. Ham tried confirming the same and he did.

Whats the damn issue with that