UPDATE - FIA charges is spy case, McLaren react
The FIA has summoned McLaren to appear at a hearing of its World Motor Sport Council on July 26 to answer a charge of violating sporting regulations by possessing confidential Ferrari data."Representatives of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes have been...
The FIA has summoned McLaren to appear at a hearing of its World Motor Sport Council on July 26 to answer a charge of violating sporting regulations by possessing confidential Ferrari data.
"Representatives of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes have been requested to appear before an extraordinary meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Thursday, July 26, 2007," an FIA statement said.
"The team representatives have been called to answer a charge that between March and July 2007, in breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes had unauthorised possession of documents and confidential information belonging to Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, including information that could be used to design, engineer, build, check, test, develop and/or run a 2007 Ferrari Formula One car."
McLaren in a reaction this afternoon said: "McLaren is extremely disappointed to note that it has been asked by the FIA to answer a charge of being in possession of certain documents and confidential information belonging to Ferrari.
"Whilst McLaren wishes to continue its full co-operation with any investigation into this matter, it does wish to make it very clear that the documents and confidential information were only in the possession of one currently suspended employee on an unauthorised basis and no element of it has been used in relation to McLaren’s Formula 1 cars."
Ferrari are alleging that McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan possessed up to 700 pages of confidential documents at his home. McLaren have suspended Coughlan but strongly deny that any Ferrari information has found itself into their cars.
It has also been disclosed that Coughlan and former Ferrari engineer Nigel Stepney,who has denied leaking the information, had together sought to join Honda.
"Representatives of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes have been requested to appear before an extraordinary meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Thursday, July 26, 2007," an FIA statement said.
"The team representatives have been called to answer a charge that between March and July 2007, in breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes had unauthorised possession of documents and confidential information belonging to Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, including information that could be used to design, engineer, build, check, test, develop and/or run a 2007 Ferrari Formula One car."
McLaren in a reaction this afternoon said: "McLaren is extremely disappointed to note that it has been asked by the FIA to answer a charge of being in possession of certain documents and confidential information belonging to Ferrari.
"Whilst McLaren wishes to continue its full co-operation with any investigation into this matter, it does wish to make it very clear that the documents and confidential information were only in the possession of one currently suspended employee on an unauthorised basis and no element of it has been used in relation to McLaren’s Formula 1 cars."
Ferrari are alleging that McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan possessed up to 700 pages of confidential documents at his home. McLaren have suspended Coughlan but strongly deny that any Ferrari information has found itself into their cars.
It has also been disclosed that Coughlan and former Ferrari engineer Nigel Stepney,who has denied leaking the information, had together sought to join Honda.