Mclaren came away from the French Grand Prix feeling a bit harshly treated by governing body FIA after a series of penalties.

Team principal Ron Dennis did little dismiss suggestions that FIA was picking on the British team.

"You can draw your own conclusions," Dennis told reporters on Sunday after Lewis Hamilton was penalized for an overtaking move. The 23-year-old Briton finished 10th after starting the race with a 10-place penalty on the grid because he caused an accident at the preceding Canadian GP.

Hamilton, eager to move up into the points from 13th, passed Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel at the third corner and got as high as ninth but his impatience earned a drive-through penalty after he cut across a chicane in the maneuver.

"You can keep on giving me penalties, do whatever you want to do and I'll keep battling and I'll keep trying to come back with a result," Hamilton said. "We're going to focus on the next race and we're going to hit them hard."

McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh thought Hamilton had played the pass right. "We thought he was by the car at that point and that he'd be OK," said Whitmarsh, brushing aside questions about any FIA grudge. "I don't think there's any point in speculating on that. A penalty was given."

FIA president Max Mosley and Dennis have never seen eye-to-eye and McLaren was dealt a US$100 million fine for possessing confidential Ferrari documents last year. Renault got off without a fine after also getting caught with Ferrari papers.

Hamilton failed to finish in the points in consecutive races for the first time in his 25-race career. He now trails overall Formula One leader Felipe Massa of Ferrari by 10 points with 10 races left.

"I don't care how far I am behind, Kimi (Raikkonen) was 17 points behind with two races to go and he still won it. If I'm 20 points behind I don't care, I will still come back," said the agitated Hamilton. "I am going to keep battling, and there is a long way to go."

Heikki Kovalainen at least brought the team home a fourth-place finish.

The Finn started 10th after being penalized five places for hindering Mark Webber's qualifying lap, but rallied to finish seven-tenths of a second off the podium. Both McLaren drivers were penalized for the same infraction at the Malaysian GP earlier this year.

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily June 24, 2008)