| | Associated Press
LONDON -- Mika Hakkinen's victory in the Austrian Grand Prix
was upheld Tuesday, but his McLaren Mercedes team was fined $50,000
and stripped of its points from the race because of a technical
violation.
The black box from Hakkinen's McLaren car was seized by F1
officials after his July 16 victory. The box, which controls vital
computer software, was missing a plastic seal.
FIA, the governing body of motorsports, investigated and
summoned McLaren officials to a hearing Tuesday in London. The team
said it will not appeal.
Stewards ruled the team did not comply with technical
regulations but said the violation was not serious enough to
disqualify Hakkinen.
Instead, FIA imposed a fine, citing the "exceptional
circumstances of this case," stripped McLaren Mercedes of the 10
points it won in Austria in the constructors' championship.
"It's a harsh ruling for the team, which we have to accept,"
said Norbert Haug, sports director for Mercedes. "The abilities of
the black box were absolutely inside the rules, as laid down by
FIA.
"It's fortunate that Mika can retain his victory after his
superb performance. Anything else would have been a wrong
decision."
Hakkinen's victory in Austria on July 16 brought him within
eight points of Ferrari's German driver Michael Schumacher in the
drivers' standings. Schumacher went out on the first lap.
McLaren was leading the constructors' championship with 98
points after the Austrian Grand Prix. The deduction of 10 points
drops the team into second place with 88, behind Ferrari with 92.
With seven Grand Prix races left in the 17-race season,
Schumacher has 56 points, followed by David Coulthard with 50 and
Hakkinen with 48.
Hakkinen is bidding to become the first driver since Argentina's
Juan Manuel Fangio in 1956 to win three straight driver's titles.
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