They're not short of a penny

Sir,

There was much discussion recently about the size of the fine (US$100 million) imposed on McLaren following the ‘Spygate’ affair. Many viewed this fine as an enormous sum of money to expect the team to pay.

As is typical of F1 these days, this figure has been quickly put into perspective by the recent announcement that Lewis Hamilton can expect to earn a minimum of £70m (or $140m) from his new contract! Although the contract is for a period of years, the sum is still significant. My initial sympathy for McLaren has now vanished.

James Esdaile, London SW18