F1 McLaren consider appeal over record £50m fine for spying on Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton's title hopes remain alive as the British driver, alongside team-mate Fernando Alonso, escaped losing any championship points despite seeing their team stripped of any chance of winning the constructors' title.

Scroll down for more ...

McLaren were docked all their points for the season and handed a penalty of 100 million dollars (£49.2million) as punishment, following fresh evidence in the case.

Observers of the sport believe it is almost certain an appeal will be launched.

Much will depend on the findings behind the sanctions, which the FIA will release today.

Earlier this year, 780 pages of Ferrari technical information, stored on computer disks, was discovered at the home of suspended McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan.

The team was found guilty of fraudulent conduct at an initial hearing on July 26, although at that time no penalty was imposed due to "insufficient evidence".

At that stage there was no evidence to suggest the dossier had been used with regard to this year's McLaren car.

McLaren also claimed Coughlan was a rogue employee working to further his career ambitions in conjunction with Nigel Stepney, sacked as Ferrari's head of performance development.

But since the July hearing other evidence materialised resulting in yesterday's meeting.

Scroll down for more ...

Following a session at the FIA headquarters in Paris, a statement from World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) was released.

It read: "The WMSC have stripped Vodafone McLaren Mercedes of all constructor points in the 2007 FIA Formula One world championship and the team can score no points for the remainder of the season.

"Furthermore, the team will pay a fine equal to U.S. $100million, less the FOM (Formula One Management) income lost as a result of the points deduction.

"However, due to the exceptional circumstances in which the FIA gave the team's drivers an immunity in return for providing evidence, there is no penalty in regard to drivers' points."

A McLaren spokesperson said: "The most important thing is that we will be going motor racing this weekend, the rest of the season and every season.

"This means that our drivers can continue to compete for the World Championship.

"However having been at the hearing today I do not accept that we deserved to be penalised in this way."

Former F1 boss Eddie Jordan said he was shocked by the scale of McLaren's fine and feared for their financial future.

"It is has huge ramifications for McLaren. I have never ever seen anything (a fine) of this magnitude.

"It's just too huge to even contemplate," he told Channel Four news.

Ferrari said it was satisfied with the outcome.

A statement read: "Ferrari acknowledges the decision of the FIA to sanction Vodafone McLaren Mercedes for its breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code.

"In light of new evidence, facts and behaviour of an extremely serious nature and grossly prejudicial to the interest of the sport have been further demonstrated.

"Ferrari is satisfied that the truth has now emerged."

McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh said: "We believe we've the grounds for an appeal.

"We will consider the findings of the FIA carefully before we make that decision, but we do not believe we should have been punished in this way."