With the not-unexpected announcement that the WMSC have called McLaren to account for their behavior in the Melbourne stewards meeting, to be heard on April 29, speculation erupts as to how stiff a penalty will be imposed, whether Hamilton will be induced to change teams, the possibility of Whitmarsh resigning and whether Mercedes will switch their support to Brawn GP. Naturally, there is no thought that the court will adopt the wisest course by accepting that the matter has been blown out of proportion and that there is no need for any further action.
Norbert Haug, Director of Mercedes Motorsport
That in itself is an indication of how the WMSC is viewed in general; its previous judgements are so suspect that no one suggests for a moment that it might do any better this time. But I think the consensus might be wrong in this case - there is an unnoticed factor that could have more than a little influence on the matter.
I speak of Mercedes' position in the furore. Some are suggesting that the company might drop McLaren as its main investment in F1, transferring its effort to the team of the moment, Brawn GP. Yet this is highly unlikely, given the fact that Mercedes owns much of McLaren; that is an investment that cannot be changed overnight.
It is true that patience must be wearing thin with both McLaren's sparing successes in the constructors championship and the team's constant stumbling into battles with the FIA. A much more likely response than switching allegiance is that the company withdraw from the sport altogether. It has been pointed out that Mercedes is losing vast sums of money in its production sales at the moment and this could be just the excuse the company needs to cut its losses in F1.
If the WMSC had any sense, it would have seen this possibility looming and done its utmost to play down the unnecessary storm over the fiasco in Melbourne. That is too much to hope for, apparently, but it does not mean that Mercedes will take things lying down. Just a quiet threat to withdraw should be sufficient to give Max Mosley pause (and he is the WMSC, after all).
Consider what the FIA would be confronted with: not just one team withdrawal but three, since Brawn and Force India could not continue without Mercedes engines, crisis on the standard ECU front as supplies dry up and collapse of public interest in a championship deprived of its most exciting team (Brawn GP) and driver (Lewis Hamilton). Bernie would have a fit.
There is no need for Mercedes to do anything in public; a word in Mosley's ear should get the message across - "put an end to this or we take our ball away". Surely even Max would see how his actions have endangered the future of F1 and the word would go out: drop the case.
Of course, this is F1 and so anything can happen. All I can do is register my objection that so much has been put at risk by so petty a pursuit of a team that has done no worse than tell a stupid lie to a bunch of incompetent stewards. If this is the way F1 is run, I suggest that Mercedes should go ahead and hold the sport to ransom; as unseen manipulators behind the scenes, they can do no worse than the idiots presently running the show.