Why did McLaren get disqualified in 2007?
Following that Grand Prix McLaren was excluded from the constructors’ championship after having been found guilty of theft and illegal usage of confidentional technical information of Ferrari. The team did not receive any constructors’ points from subsequent races. The penalty consisted of exclusion from and withdrawal of all points awarded to McLaren in all rounds of the 2007 Constructors’ Championship, a record fine of $100 million (less the TV and travel income lost as a result of the points deduction), and the obligation for the team to submit its 2008 chassis for scrutiny.
Why did McLaren lose in 2007?
The MP4-22 proved to be one of the most competitive cars of the season, with Alonso and Hamilton achieving four victories each. However, a fierce rivalry between the two drivers, combined with the 2007 Formula One espionage controversy, resulted in McLaren losing both championships to Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro. This year, Alonso won four races and fought for the title until the last race in Brazil, but announced last week that he was leaving McLaren after his relationship with the team had seriously deteriorated. Despite this, Alonso believes that the McLaren’s performance throughout the year justifies his move.
Why did McLaren not win the 2007 Constructors?
It would have won the constructors’ title in 2007 had it not been disqualified for its role in Spy Gate, while Ferrari arguably had the quicker car and driver pairing during Lewis Hamilton’s championship year in 2008. It was in the running in 2010 and had the fastest car in 2012, but neither season garnered titles. Lewis Hamilton brings team their first drivers’ championship since 1999, but partnership with Heikki Kovalainen ultimately not strong enough to wrest constructors’ crown from Ferrari and they finish second, 21 points shy of the Italian team.