Talking specifically about the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) verdict the other day, by which the French manufacturer only got a 2-year suspended ban for their involvement in the scandal, Hill argued that the ruling body made a “shameful” call. The lack of consistency showed by the FIA when judging all these “gates” – spy-gate, lie-gate, crash-gate, and so on – is a living proof of the fact that all the cards are being dealt behind closed doors.
“You have to put this in the context of inconsistencies in the way in which the FIA has treated breaches of the regulations over the years and, knowing what we know, we cannot dissociate this from the power play going on behind the scenes for control of Formula One,” said Hill, according to The Times newspaper.
One has to remember that McLaren were handed a drastic $100 million fine for their involvement in the spy-gate – which is considered far less offensive than race-fixing – while also being deducted all points in the 2007 manufacturers' standings. In comparison, Renault received a 2-year suspended ban, the same penalty received by McLaren for Lewis Hamilton lying to the FIA stewards after the 2009 Australian Grand Prix.
“I'm not surprised they've let Renault off. It's a crying shame for the sport. Formula One has to ask itself, is it just a very expensive form of entertainment or a proper sport? There is a whole book on what's wrong with Formula One. It's called 'Bernie's Game' and the history of this episode is typical,” added Hill.
Google News