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Todt: McLaren penalty 'very soft'

Ferrari team principal Jean Todt believes McLaren escaped with a 'very soft' penalty for their involvement in Formula One's spying affair

While McLaren still ponder whether or not to appeal the constructors' championship exclusion and $100 million fine, Todt made it clear on Sunday night that his team were unhappy with the penalty handed down.

"It's very difficult to say we are happy. We are unhappy," Todt told reporters. "Something which was very important after the hearing of 26th of July, if you are guilty you must be penalised.

"Our main competitor has been recognised, after new evidence, guilty, and has been punished with a soft penalty, losing points for the manufacturers' championship.

"If you get deeply into all this sad story, you realise that it's a very soft sentence which we respect."

Todt says Ferrari are not yet ready to accept that they have won the constructors' championship because of the possibility of McLaren winning an appeal if they choose to go through with it.

But he also interestingly thinks it is too early to even consider his own drivers' championship positions because he thinks there is a chance Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso could be thrown out of the title chase if the matter goes to appeal.

"I think it will be very important to see if they make an appeal or not," he said. "Because if there is a chance of them doing the appeal, I think it will change quite a lot the drivers' situation.

"So then probably the appeal will be judged before the Japanese Grand Prix and we may be facing a completely different situation. Before we know about the appeal, it's not something I'm going to comment on further."

He added: "If you ask me, what they will do, personally I wish they will do. I think the result should be different. But again, it's a personal feeling."

McLaren have made it clear that they would not take the matter to appeal if they felt they could get closure on the matter - which is believed to include the current civil and criminal cases that are ongoing in Italy and Britain.

But Todt has insisted that Ferrari are going to press on with the legal action in spite of the punishment handed down on McLaren.

"What does matter is the interest of the team. Considering the civil case in England, the penal case in Italy, it has nothing to do with the FIA and it's not of our responsibility in Italy. It's up to the judges who have the matter to cover.

"I know that our president dedicated this success to our supporter, who had the idea of informing us about those stolen documents. But fortunately we had somebody, loyal and fair, who helped us in that and we don't have any reason to stop any legal action."

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