McLaren risks heavy sanctions, including the possibility of being excluded from the Formula One championship, after being summoned to face charges of lying to stewards at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement on Tuesday that it had charged the team of world champion Lewis Hamilton with breaching the international sporting code on five counts. An extraordinary meeting of the FIA's world motor sport council (WMSC) will be held in Paris on April 29, the Wednesday after the fourth round of the championship in Bahrain. It will be McLaren's third appearance before the WMSC in two years, with the team fined a record $100 million and stripped of all its constructors' points in 2007 for a spying controversy involving Ferrari data in their possession. The Mercedes-powered team was also charged with breaches of the same article 151c of the international sporting code on that occasion. If the charges are upheld and the most extreme sanctions are applied, McLaren could be kicked out of the championship although a fine or points deduction is more likely. The governing body has not pressed charges against Hamilton. The FIA charged McLaren on Tuesday with making a statement to the stewards that they knew to be untrue in both Australia and Malaysia.
