FIA say Monaco tactics ‘legitimate’ as McLaren escape

LEWIS HAMILTON and McLaren have escaped sanction for their tactics at the Monaco Grand Prix following an FIA investigation.

The sport’s governing body were prompted to look into last weekend’s race when Hamilton finished second behind team-mate Fernando Alonso.

However, the FIA are satisfied the conduct of both drivers and the team did not breach the rule against the use of team orders to interfere with the results of the race.

The FIA said yesterday: “McLaren’s actions during the 2007 Monaco grand prix were entirely legitimate and no further action is necessary.” Reigning world champion Alonso led home Hamilton, with the manufactured result ensuring the duo now share equal billing at the top of the drivers’ standings.

After coming within 0.8 seconds of Alonso in the final third of the race, Hamilton claims he was told “to ease off” by the team in order to ensure they would score maximum points.

Team principal Ron Dennis also stated that, given the nature of the race, “you virtually have to decide in advance which of the team’s drivers will claim the victory”.

Dennis maintained that is in the event of a potential safety-car incident, as had occurred in four of the previous five grands prix at the Principality.

As there were no accidents, Alonso was the main beneficiary of the team’s strategy, whereas Hamilton would have emerged the victor if the safety car had been deployed.

Dennis insisted: “We are scrupulously fair at all times in how we run this grand prix team.”

Yet, there are those who feel team strategy gave way to team orders which are banned under FIA regulations.

They came into force after Rubens Barrichello was told by his then Ferrari bosses to let Michael Schumacher pass him and win the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix.

There is certainly a thin dividing line between team strategy and team orders, and Dennis knows on which side he stood on Sunday. He explained: “Team strategy is what you bring to bear to win a grand prix; team orders are what you bring to bear to manipulate a grand prix.

“We do not, and have not, manipulated grands prix unless there are some exceptional circumstances.

“For example, in Australia 1998, someone tapped into our radio and instructed Mika Hakkinen to enter the pits.

“He entered the pits, but I reversed that because that was unfair. That was an outside influence influencing the outcome of the race.

“That is one of the very rare occasions there’s been a team order.’’