Hamilton's F1 team fined $100m

Lewis Hamilton's Formula One team has been hit with a huge punishment for having secret plans about rival team Ferrari's car designs.

McLaren has been fined $100m (£49.2m) and been stripped of all the points earned in this year's team competition.

But Lewis Hamilton and team-mate Fernando Alonso will keep all the points they have won so far.

McLaren will also have to have its cars checked before every race next season to check it obeys the rules.

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Earlier this year a big book of technical information about Ferrari's cars was found at the house of McLaren's chief designer Mike Coughlan.

He was suspended, while Ferrari mechanic Nigel Stepney, who is thought to have supplied the documents to him, was fired.

In Formula One there are two competitions running side-by-side; the drivers' world championship and the constructors' world championship for teams.

For every point a driver wins on the track their team gets the same amount.

So far this season Hamilton has won 92 points and Alonso 89 but now McLaren as a team has none.

There are four races left this season, with the next one on Sunday in Belgium.