F1 Explosion!

Wow! If you are not up on what is coming out of the Formula 1 world today, you need to catch up quickly. In spite of the depth of the debacle at this point, it sounds like there may be even more bombs on the way.

Basically, McLaren is out of the 2007 Constructors Championship race because they have been striped of their points. Ferrari wins by default.

McLaren has also been hit with a $100 Million fine. If you think that is harsh, no less a luminary than Bernie Ecclestone has reported that Mclaren came very close to a two year ban from the series. Bernie is quoted as saying that the fine was a hard won compromise in place of the suspension.

This morning, TV pundits were speculating as to weather or not Lewis Hamilton has what it takes to lead the team next year. This comes in face of rumors that Fernando Alonzo has been looking for a way out of his 2008 contract, and a strong interest on the part of Renault to have him back. In the ongoing spy saga involving McLaren and Ferrari, it has been reported that McLaren boss Ron Dennis took evidence to the FIA in a preemptive move because of a threat by Alonzo to reveal the evidence if the team did not jettison Lewis Hamilton.

It sounds like Alonzo’s bid was to either rid himself of Hamilton, or get himself put off the team. Either one seems to suit his purpose. In light of the fact that his attempt to blackmail the team into firing Hamilton didn’t work, he is most certainly persona non grata at McLaren. With so few races to go before the end of the season, he may stay until the end but one has to wonder about his motivation and performance. Team morale has got to be at rock bottom.

The public became generally aware of the internal strife after the infamous blocking incident last month. We wrote in these pages that Ron Dennis had a lot of repair work to do. Today, it seems like it is broken beyond repair for this season. It would not surprise me to see a “Friday driver” in the car for the last two races. Stay tuned for more.