McLaren boss gets his constructors' trophy anyway

McLaren boss Ron Dennis, whose team were stripped of all their Formula One constructors' points after a spying controversy, has got his hands on a trophy anyway.

Dennis told reporters at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix, where McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are fighting Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen for the drivers' title, that mechanics had made him one.

"I was very pleased to get the constructors' trophy yesterday from the mechanics, that they made. That was a nice touch," he said. "A lot of people still think we are a pretty cold, grey team. Well, that's far from the truth. The team realise it has been a bit of a tough season, so it was just a nice gesture. "It meant a lot to me because it shows that in adversity we've come close together and fought hard. It has just got a very strong sentimental value. It will sit somewhere appropriate, probably in my office at home," said Dennis.

Without the punishment, and the loss of an earlier 15 points from the Hungarian Grand Prix after a pole position controversy,McLaren would have won their first constructors trophy since 1998 this season. Under normal conditions, the Mercedes-powered team's points tally would now be 210 from 16 races compared to Ferrari's current 186.

McLaren were stripped of all their points and fined $100 million in September after a dossier of Ferrari technical information was found at the home of their chief designer Mike Coughlan. The team had argued that none of the information found its way into the design of their cars.