Motor sport: Lewis Hamilton will not know whether he will be competing in the 2008 Formula One world championship until a month before it is due to commence.
The World Motor Sport Council met in Monaco today to discuss the FIA Technical Department's report on the validity of McLaren's 2008 car.
It would appear there is sufficient doubt as McLaren, Ferrari and the other F1 teams face an EGM of the WMSC in Paris on February 14 at which the report will be discussed.
Commenting on the matter, FIA president Max Mosley said: "We had very much hoped the investigation of McLaren would be an end of the matter.
"But as you will have gathered it isn't. We have received a report which makes it necessary to have another hearing.
"We wouldn't do that, and go through all this again and bring people from all over the world unless there was good reason to do so."
There is now every prospect McLaren could be kicked out of next season's championship, leaving Hamilton sat on the sidelines for a year.
On September 13, McLaren were found guilty of fraudulent conduct, namely being in unauthorised possession of technical information belonging to Ferrari.
That resulted in the WMSC fining McLaren #50million and stripping the team of all their constructors' points for the 2007 season.
However, the WMSC decided that for the sake of the championship — and as Mosley had also offered immunity for information received — they would not punish either Hamilton or then team-mate Fernando Alonso.
But should McLaren be found guilty in two months' time, just four weeks ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, then the team as a whole will be punished.
"If there is any negative finding about 2008, and it is only an if, then it (the punishment) will apply to everybody," confirmed Mosley.
The WMSC confirmed in September a full technical report on the 2008 McLaren car would be undertaken to ensure no Ferrari data would be making its way onto next year's model.
That resulted in a group of inspectors from the FIA Technical Department carrying out a thorough search of McLaren's Woking-based headquarters.
It is apparent the technical department have discovered something untoward, otherwise McLaren would have been cleared, and in asking the other teams to participate suggests the matter is severe.
Only yesterday McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh insisted the 2008 McLaren car "doesn't have any foreign intellectual property in it.2
He added: "I think we'll come out of this very shortly and be able to put all of this behind us. And that's good for the sport.
"It's the right and appropriate outcome and we'll move on."
But McLaren now have every reason to be a worried team as Mosley added: "I don't think we've decided that what Martin said was not true.
"What we have decided is that on the basis of the report we have had from our technical department, it is necessary to have another hearing and invite all the teams.
"I should tell you the technical department were assisted by an international firm of lawyers, plus a team of forensic computer experts from Deloitte."
McLaren are maintaining their innocence as a statement read: "From the very beginning McLaren has provided the FIA with full access and complete co-operation.
"We remain confident no confidential information has been incorporated within the team's 2007 and 2008 cars."
The problem is McLaren appear not to have told the whole truth over the course of the year.
Mosley pertinently added: "I couldn't pretend they told us the truth on the 26th of July (at the first hearing.)
"And there is reason to suppose they may not have told us the whole truth on the 13th September either, and that does make it difficult.
"In the end we are trying to run a sport, and we don't have the resources of the police, the Secret Service and these elements.
"We have very limited time, and it is extremely annoying to go through hundreds and hundreds of pages produced by lawyers who are being paid by the
amount of time they can spend on the case.
"It completely detracts from what we are supposed to be doing in the sport, but on the other hand we cannot allow people, to put it crudely, cheat."