Mosley gets involved in ‘lie-gate’ scandal

Max Mosley

(GMM) Max Mosley has revealed that a decision about whether further action should be taken against McLaren has not yet been made.

The FIA president, in Portugal for a round of the World Rally championship, said a formal report on the so-called 'lie-gate' saga is yet to be forwarded to the World Council.

"If there is (a report), I will almost certainly be one of the people there to decide what happens. Therefore it would be completely wrong for me to discuss the rights and wrongs of the situation," he said.

The scandal, triggered by an innocuous event behind the safety car in Australia one week ago, continued to spiral out of control for McLaren with the publishing of an article in the Sunday Times.

It is claimed world champion Lewis Hamilton threatened to walk away from McLaren and formula one over the affair, but was advised against that course of action by Mosley himself.

Reportedly, the most angry about the affair is Hamilton's manager and father Anthony, who demanded that McLaren and F1 officials allow his son to use the Sepang media centre to publicly apologize and distance himself from the actions of the suspended Dave Ryan.

The FIA may also have been involved in Hamilton's confession, thereby winning him amnesty from further actions taken by McLaren.

"Lewis is terribly upset but his father is even more upset having his son called a cheat," Bernie Ecclestone told the News of the World.

But McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh said the Sunday Times report is not true.

"We have asked Anthony only five minutes ago if this is true and Anthony has told us that Lewis has not spoken to Max," the Briton said as he addressed the media at Sepang on Sunday.

Whitmarsh, however, said Anthony Hamilton has spoken to Mosley.

In the Daily Mail newspaper, Eddie Jordan said the affair has opened up a massive rift between the Hamilton camp and McLaren.

"I believe Lewis wants out of McLaren," said the former team boss and owner, who is in Malaysia as a pundit for British television.

Ex-McLaren driver David Coulthard added: "I am sure Lewis is considering his relationship with the team."

But Whitmarsh said these rumors are also untrue.

"There's been no hint of anything that they have said to cause me to contemplate that for this or any other reason that he (Hamilton) intends leaving this team," said the 50-year-old.