Originally Posted by
gm99
McLaren was also initially acquited before the FIA World Council in 2007 (not 2003, as you stated). The only reason this was turned into a conviction was because Ron Dennis came forward after Alonso tried to blackmail him.
Apparently, the FIA did not have such fortune this time around and therefore lacked conclusive evidence to go after Ferrari lock, stock and barrel.
Considering we still know very little of the exact nature of Ferrari's wrongdoing last year (other than that it had something to do with the fuel flow), I think your conclusion that it was as bad as spygate is somewhat ambitious. McLaren didn't just break the rules of F1, as Ferrari seem to have done last year, but actively stole the intellectual property of a competitor, which is not just an infringement of F1 rules, but a criminal offense in most countries.
However, I agree with you that it would have been better to appoint someone without strong Ferrari ties to head F1.