McLaren loses all constructors' points

[Mike]

FIA World Motor Sport Council has disqualified McLaren from the 2007 constructors' championship and fined the team $100 million, but Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso can continue to battle for the drivers' crown.

After a day of deliberations at the hearing in Paris, the governing body decided to punish the team for breaking the sporting regulations by possessing confidential Ferrari data.

But while the decision to exclude McLaren from the constructors' contest hands that title to Ferrari, McLaren's drivers have not received any penalty.

Hamilton and Alonso's battle for the world championship will therefore continue unaffected in the remaining four rounds.

The team's $100 million fine is the largest in motorsport history.

McLaren will also have to present its 2008 car for examination by the FIA before the start of next season.

The team is due to address the media in Paris within the next hour.



More details to follow...