After the departure of former two-time world champion Fernando Alonso from the Woking-based McLaren team, various names have been linked with his vacated seat. Experts believe that McLaren will be looking for a young driver. But there have been reports that McLaren should look to seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher as the German might be looking to resume his Formula One career after retiring at the end of the 2005 season.

Recently, a Schumacher declared his desire to drive for McLaren. But it was not Michael who is wooing McLaren but his younger brother Ralf. The younger Schumacher who is said to be the highest paid driver in his time has left Toyota at the end of the last season and is now looking for a seat in a competitive team as Toyota failed to give Ralf a competitive car.

Ralf said that he is not the only driver wanting the vacant seat in McLaren. "It's no secret that the seat at McLaren-Mercedes is by far the most coveted there is," said the younger Schumacher. "Every driver out there in the market would love to sit in their super car," the German added.

Other drivers who have been linked with the McLaren seat are Heikki Kovalainen, Nico Rosberg, and Adrian Sutil. Kovalainen of Renault is one of the younger drivers who have upstaged their much seasoned teammates. Last season, Kovalainen outperformed Giancarlo Fisichella in almost every race. Renault though is expected not to let Kovalainen go as they would try to team him up with Alonso next season.

Nico Rosberg, the son of former world champion Keke Rosberg, is making his tour of duty for Williams. He is seen to be a great complement to Lewis Hamilton as they are both young and talented drivers. Williams though has issued a warning to McLaren saying that Rosberg is not for sales as he is the future of the team. Adrian Sutil, on the other hand, has a contract with Spyker which has been bought by Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya. Sutil has been Hamilton's teammate in the GP2 Series and will be a good teammate for Hamilton. But Spyker's new owner has expressed his desire to retain Sutil for next season.

As to Schumacher's declaration, McLaren is yet to comment. Even McLaren's engine partner has yet to make a statement regarding the vacant seat in the Woking-based team.

The past Formula One season has been a roller coaster ride for the Woking-based McLaren team. At the start of the season, they have been dominated by Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix. But rookie Lewis Hamilton showed the world that McLaren is still one of the top teams in the sport.

After the departure of the double-world time champion, much melee regarding the drivers has erupted. But McLaren announced that they will be taking their time in naming their new driver for the 2008 season.

Martin Whitmarsh, the team's Chief Executive, said: "Until the second McLaren drive is sorted out I don't think you'll see much movement (in the driver market), so we're not really hurried." Although there have been no reports as to who the team is favoring right now, one driver will not be included on the list.

Ralf Schumacher who left Toyota after the season is said to have expressed his interest in joining McLaren, a team which has been the foremost rival of Ferrari, his brother's long-time home in Formula One. Dennis reportedly told Schumacher's manger that Ralf will not be on the list of drivers to be considered by the team.

Meanwhile, Hamilton named three drivers who may be on the top of the list and they are Nico Rosberg, Adrian Sutil, and Heikki Kovalainen. But he added that he will stand by the decision of his team. "I'm really not bothered who I am racing with,' said Hamilton. "It's another team decision and I stick by them whoever they choose. I'm very happy I've got one seat. I get to stay and do what I love doing."

Hamilton said that he wishes his former teammate the best in his career. "I wish Fernando the best for the future and really hope wherever he goes he is successful," said Hamilton. "But I'm going to be there competing against him and I look forward to the battle. I welcome whoever is going to be with us and look forward to the challenge. I hope they work as hard as me to take the team to the championship," he concluded.

In a recent hearing held in Paris, France, WSMC finds the British Formula 1 team (McLaren) guilty as Mike Coughlan, Chief Designer of McLaren team was found out to have possession of a document that belongs to Ferrari, which is a 780-page record of the Italian team's Ferrari's 2007 race car technical data.

Here's the official statement of WMSC:
"The WMSC has 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 $100m, less the FOM income lost as a result of the points' deduction."

Team McLaren was shocked by the decision and said they do not deserve this kind of penalty. The team also insisted that only their designer Mike Coughlin should be responsible for the penalty because the team did not gain advantage and did not use Ferrari's technical documents. The team will indeed appeal WMSC's decision to the higher court.

Team principal of McLaren, Ron Dennis also stated: "The entire engineering team in excess of 140 people provided statements to the FIA affirming that they had never received or used the Ferrari information." While McLaren team is shocked and frustrated with the verdict, Scuderia Ferrari team celebrates with bliss flying over their heads as the Italian stable can now secure their F1 Constructor's Championship trophy.

Ferrari said: "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 is being accused of spying on Ferrari and using Ferrari data to get the advantage over the Italian team.

Earlier this year, just four days after the European Grand Prix, McLaren was summoned to face the FIA - the ruling body of the sport. One strange twist to this saga is the suggestion that McLaren's team principal, Ron Dennis, retire and the whole scandal will disappear. Although Dennis and the team are facing trying times, the Italian Grand Prix became a much needed boost for them. The MP4-22 that the two McLaren drivers used employs an engine provided by German automaker Mercedes.

After the race, Dennis was in tears. "I am pretty emotional, but I am more emotional about the support the team showed me, and that's what we are - a team," said Dennis in the post-race interview.

Dennis, though, will now stand alone on Thursday in defence of his team as what he described as "a very trying weekend" turns to what will be another traumatic day in Paris.

"Clearly, there's now a need to turn our attention to other issues that confront the team, to give a full and detailed explanation as to all the circumstances we've found ourselves involved in over the past few months."

He said that the support of the team members as well as their partners Vodafone and Mercedes-Benz has been great for the whole organization. "We've tried to maintain our motivation and dignity in challenging circumstances," concluded Dennis.

McLaren has been accused by Ferrari of spying. The said dossier was turned over to Coughlan by former Ferrari senior engineer Nigel Stepney.

Ferrari’s team Principal Jean Todt was furious of the decision. The Italian team is appealing the verdict and is planning to file charges against McLaren, Coughlan, and Stepney.

McLaren’s team principal, Ron Dennis, recently answered back and criticized Ferrari. According to Dennis, Stepney acted as a whistleblower, telling McLaren’s Coughlan that the Ferrari cars fielded for the Australian Grand Prix uses questionable components. McLaren requested the FIA to clarify the use of the said components. Dennis said that: “As far as we are aware, Ferrari ran their cars with this illegal device at the Australian Grand Prix, which they won". Dennis also clarified that Coughlan took the dossier from Stepney not to use it for the McLaren team. McLaren currently leads both the drivers’ and constructors’ championship standings.

“I replied that I found it impossible to believe him because we had seen that certain commitments had always been disregarded by McLaren,” said Todt. “There was an exchange of views and, believing in their good faith, I agreed to sign this agreement on June 9. So, on the one hand, they had come to say ‘let us trust one another’ and, on the other, they were hiding serious facts but making no effort to inform us as would have been in the spirit and to the letter of our agreement.”

Todt pointed out that since McLaren was found guilty, they should be punished. “There is not even a sign of logic in this verdict. Either they are guilty or they aren't. McLaren were found responsible of having violated the regulations of F1, of having behaved in a fraudulent manner, but they haven't been punished,” he shared.

McLaren though was not found guilty of having used the Ferrari data on their cars which would have given them immense advantage over the Italian team. If the FIA punished McLaren that would either come in form of a monetary fine docking points from the team and drivers. Currently, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are leading the race to the championship.

The Formula One team was summoned by the FIA, the ruling body of the sport to an emergency World Motor Sport Council to answer the allegation of using Ferrari technical details on their Formula One cars.

The meeting was held yesterday and the decision is that McLaren was found guilty of the possession of Ferrari documents but the team will not be punished since there is no sufficient evidence showing that the team has used the Ferrari technical specs on their cars. It has 138 points while Ferrari is in second place with 111 points. Ferrari then had Coughlan’s house searched and sure enough, 780 pages of Ferrari documents are found in his possession.

McLaren’s reputation was somewhat tainted by the controversy as well as its partners like Vodafone and Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz’ Norbert Haug, the automaker’s chief for motorsports, is confident that the team is innocent.

"But if it is found in the future that the Ferrari information has been used to the detriment of the championship, we reserve the right to invite Vodafone McLaren Mercedes back in front of the WMSC where it will face the possibility of exclusion from not only the 2007 championship but also the 2008 championship." - GPUpdate.net

The statement coninued: "The WMSC will also invite Mr Stepney and Mr Coughlan to show reason why they should not be banned from international motor sport for a lengthy period and the WMSC has delegated authority to deal with this matter to the legal department of the FIA." - GPUpdate.net