Nigel Stepney, the Ferrari technical engineer facing court action by his own employer, has denied allegations of sabotage.

"I have confidence I'll be cleared by the legal process that is now taking place. It's part of a dirty tricks campaign and everything is in the hands of my lawyer, so we'll see what happens," Stepney told The Sunday Times of London while on a planned holiday in the Philippines.

Reports in sections of the media have claimed that a white powder was discovered in the petrol tank of Felipe Massa's car before the Monaco grand prix.

Stepney is still a Ferrari employee but recently admitted he was unhappy after being given a desk job in charge of team performance development.

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