Dennis: McLaren may not appeal

LONDON, England -- Ron Dennis has hinted that his McLaren team may pay its $100 million fine for the Ferrari spy scandal rather than drag the matter through the courts.

Dennis has until next Thursday to decide whether to appeal the FIA's decision to punish McLaren in such a way as well as stripping the team of its constructors' points for 2007.

Drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso escaped any censure after being given immunity in return for their testimonies.

However, civil action is ongoing against Nigel Stepney in Italy and Mike Coughlan in England with regard to the theft of Ferrari technical information.

Dennis told the UK Press Association: "Everything in this document that the FIA says is true. True in their content. It happened.

"But there is only one thing that I feel is not appropriate. This is a fine so disproportionate to the reality of the situation. So the decision I have is not whether to appeal their findings. It is: do I appeal the fine? Does McLaren take a financial hit in the interests of the sport?

"Once I have reached a decision I will make a recommendation to my shareholders, and it is they who will decide. If we do not appeal this, it will be because we want closure.

"Do you really think it's a great backdrop for Formula One and my company if we've one-and-a-half to two years of legal aggravation with my management that is not there for that?

"They are there to focus on making race-winning cars and enter into commercial relationships with sponsors. I have had letters, emails and faxes that have streamed into me over the last 24 hours, and not one sponsor is not committed to staying with this racing team and backing us to the hilt.

"So I don't want to drag them into it. I don't want to drag this thing out, if I can get closure. Closure is for Formula One, and it has to be complete closure."

Dennis believes that McLaren can afford to pay the fine, with to come from the prize money they would have received at the end of this season.

He told PA: "There is not one team in the pit lane, save for the manufacturers, who could take a $100 million hit. We are a debt-free company, so at the end of the day we can swallow it.

"I hope the other teams understand the financial penalty we will swallow in the interests of the sport. The important thing to us is the company's integrity, and the firm belief of the world that we have never competed with a car that has anybody else's technology in it.

"We want to win fair and square, and if the penalty for that is money -- putting aside the points because it's about money in the end -- then that's the penalty.

"If the perception by the media and the public is that McLaren did not cheat, we did everything we could to co-operate, then we probably will take the financial hit -- if there is closure and it is in the interests of the sport." E-mail to a friend