Italy split over McLaren spy verdict

By Mark Meadows

MILAN (Reuters) - Ferrari-mad Italy was generally pleased McLaren had been punished over the Formula One spy scandal, though opinion was divided over the severity of the penalty.

McLaren were stripped of all their 2007 constructors' points and fined $100 million (49.6 million pounds) on Thursday, but the team's championship leader Lewis Hamilton and Spain's double world champion Fernando Alonso were allowed to keep their points.

McLaren were accused of having benefited from a dossier of Ferrari data found in the possession of now-suspended chief designer Mike Coughlan. Sacked Ferrari engineer Nigel Stepney has been accused of passing the information to Coughlan.

Ferrari, previously second to McLaren in the constructors standings, now look set to take the crown with four races left, including Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix.

"McLaren guilty!" the banner headline in Friday's Gazzetta dello Sport read.

Ferrari boss Jean Todt thought the punishment could have been heavier as Hamilton and Alonso are still well placed to win the drivers' title ahead of Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen from the Italian team.

"Perhaps I would have preferred more. The evidence was clear," Todt was quoted as saying.

The Corriere dello Sport newspaper was even more damning.