Ferrari's Stepney responds

[jeff1101]

Hi Guys, just a heads up.

You know Nigel Stepney (of the Ross Brawn/Jean Todt/Nigel Stepney fame)
has just been filed criminal charges by his parent company Ferrari team.

I dont want to go into details of the charge here but, his whereabouts after
the fact are "unknown" with rumors he is hiding somewhere in Asia.

Well guess what? I find this recent article funny in that he's actually hiding here in the Philippines!

Stepney responds

Ferrari's Nigel Stepney has responded to accusations of sabotage, telling The Sunday Times in London that he is the victim of a "dirty tricks campaign".

"I have confidence I’ll be cleared by the legal process that is now taking place," Stepney said, from his holiday location in the Philippines. "Everything is in the hands of my lawyer, so we’ll wait and see what happens."

Stepney says he is on a planned holiday and that Ferrari knows exactly where he is as his bookings were made through the Ferrari team travel office.
Print News Story

It seems alot of famous F1 personalities are in "hiding" or retiring in the Philippines. Another F1 guy and team owner of Toleman racing team is now retired here in the Philippines with his Filipina wife.

[artpogi]

[SIZE="7"]NAWAWALA SI STEPNEY![/SIZE] :waah: :cry2:

[alwayz_yummy]

heads up nyo naman ako dito,o...

[jeff1101]

Sorry forgot to mention. The above article comes from www.grandprix.com

[CVT]

I assume na mayroon siyang kinakasama ritong Pinay, tama ba? At may anak yata sila.....

Ang galing talaga ng Pinay!.....

3101:transform:

[artpogi]

and the drama continues ....

The following statement was issued by McLaren Racing on Tuesday, July 3rd:

"McLaren became aware on the 3rd July 2007 that a senior member of its technical organisation was the subject of a Ferrari investigation regarding the receipt of technical information. The team has learnt that this individual had personally received a package of technical information from a Ferrari employee at the end of April.

Whilst McLaren has no involvement in the matter and condemns such actions it will fully co-operate with any investigation. The individual has in the meanwhile been suspended by the company pending a full and proper investigation of the matter.

No further comment will be made.
"

In view of the current investigation presently underway involving former Ferrari employee Nigel Stepney regarding questions of suspected sabotage and espionage within the Ferrari team, it is not known if this new information is linked with that ongoing case or if this issue is a separate matter.

Speculation shall now surely begin regarding the identity of the suspended McLaren team senior member.

Daniel BASTIEN
© CAPSIS International

[BoyFerrari]

It appears that McLaren is bound to be disqualified this season. What a shame.

[CVT]

It appears that McLaren is bound to be disqualified this season. What a shame.

We'll see.

Apparently, Coughlan shared the Ferrari documents with his McLaren colleagues who told him to destroy them..... However, it would be hard to believe(IMO only) that since the documents were shared,- its pertinent features were not implemented in their design/strategy, as claimed by Coughlan/McLaren.

Also, RD's earlier statement that nobody in McLaren saw these documents is now challenged.....

3202:rainbow:

[BoyFerrari]

Actually, the smoking gun will have to be McLaren's filing of an official complaint to the FIA early this year about Ferrari's movable flooring. How could a rival know thy secret? The fact that it was an official McLaren complaint, that means everyone up to the top has knowledge of the stolen secrets, and used them to their advantage.

If it's any consolation, I like Lewis Hamilton's driving style. But if he didn't had a nice car (with stolen Ferrari secrets) and debuted in a SPyker or Torro Rosso, baka nasa kangkungan pa din sya ngayon.

[CVT]

Actually, the smoking gun will have to be McLaren's filing of an official complaint to the FIA early this year about Ferrari's movable flooring. How could a rival know thy secret? The fact that it was an official McLaren complaint, that means everyone up to the top has knowledge of the stolen secrets, and used them to their advantage.

If it's any consolation, I like Lewis Hamilton's driving style. But if he didn't had a nice car (with stolen Ferrari secrets) and debuted in a SPyker or Torro Rosso, baka nasa kangkungan pa din sya ngayon.

Hehehe,- agree with your smoking gun....., Whew!

We'll then see how the FIA will 'manage' this controversy.....

3202:rainbow:

[overdrayv]

http://f1manchild.googlepages.com/main.htm

[CVT]

BoyFerrari,- As you've pointed out, here's the most serious (and 'well-known') issue of them all, which is proving to be adverse to McLaren's position in this controversy.... Whew!

Actually, I was really pleasantly surprised how fast McLaren was able to adapt to the new Bridgestone tyres and how fast they were able to improve the reliability of their engines. I am leaving this as it is for now.... until the 26th.....

3303:shocked:

from:www.timesonline.co.uk

McLaren’s position takes turn for worse after new revelations
Edward Gorman, Motor Racing Correspondent

McLaren Mercedes may have discovered key technical details of this year’s Ferrari F2007 before the season even started, it was alleged yesterday, as the Ferrari-McLaren secrets scandal overshadowed the build-up to the European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring on Sunday.

In the latest revelation of an affair that is rocking Formula One, Autosport magazine reported that Nigel Stepney, the disaffected Ferrari mechanic, allegedly sent an e-mail to Mike Coughlan, the now suspended chief designer at McLaren, before the season started detailing the moveable “floor” design on the new Ferrari.

Although it is not known what Coughlan did with the e-mail, McLaren asked the FIA, the sport’s governing body, for clarification about Ferrari’s floor design at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. This resulted in a new ruling on floors that required a change in the Ferrari design, after which the Italian team suffered a slump in form.

The disclosure about the e-mail helps to explain why the FIA had previously said that the scope of its investigation into McLaren, whom it has charged with “fraudulent conduct”, goes back to the beginning of March and does not begin at the end of April, when McLaren say Coughlan first received a 780-page dossier of Ferrari secrets.

The situation for McLaren, to coin a phrase, is getting “seriouser and seriouser”, with each revelation tending to undermine assertions by Ron Dennis, the team principal, that Coughlan was the only man in the team involved in the affair and that no secret data from Ferrari has been used by the team in their campaign this season.

For Lewis Hamilton, the danger is that his charge to an historic world title in his rookie season could be derailed if the FIA finds McLaren guilty at an emergency meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Paris next Thursday. The young British racer has arrived in Germany recovering from a bout of flu and doing his best to try to keep the focus on the racing.

“I haven’t thought about it,” Hamilton said when asked if he was worried he could be thrown out of the championship. “I don’t think it’s going to happen, so I’m not worried. I’m confident with what the team has done over the years and I have all faith in the team. I don’t believe anything like that [passing secrets] would happen in the team.”

The 22-year-old from Stevenage, who has finished on the podium a record nine times in his first nine races, went on to sing the praises of his mentor, Dennis, and McLaren generally. “I’ve only been with the grand-prix team a year, but I have known Ron nine years and this is something he would never do. That’s why I have such great belief in the team. I do feel they are one of the most honest teams out there. There are always teams trying to bend the rules in some way, but I believe we are the most honest. For me, I believe we will be all right.”

One issue for McLaren, whether or not the team are punished by the FIA, is the likelihood that the effort required to deal with the affair will distract it from their performance on the track against a Ferrari team enjoying a resurgence in form. Already, McLaren have effectively lost they chief designer and now they have to prepare for the hearing next week.

Hamilton’s teammate, Fernando Alonso, who trails the Briton by 12 points in second place in the drivers’ championship, underlined the dangers. “I think we don’t know the full history of that and we don’t have the full information,” he said. “I think that as a driver we will try to stay away from that, try to concentrate and try to approach the weekend in a very normal way with the engineers and thinking about the set-up of the car. We are not thinking too much about [the council meeting] next week. What will happen, will happen anyway and they will decide whatever they think is the good thing.”

[artpogi]

some developments

Coughlan: Co-workers knew about Ferrari dossier.
Monday, 16th July 2007

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Suspended McLaren chief designer, Mike Coughlan has confirmed that a number of people at the Woking-based outfit were aware that he had the 'secret' Ferrari dossier.

According to reports in the press, the information has allegedly come to light after Italian daily newspaper, La Repubblica, reported that Coughlan confirmed as much in the 'confidential affidavit' that he handed over to Ferraris lawyers in London last week.

"It's true. I had all the designs," Coughlan is quoted as saying by the Mail on Sunday.co.uk. "It was my responsibility.

"I showed those designs to McLaren and not just to Jonathan Neale (team manager) but to others as well. Everyone reacted the same way and told me to get rid of them."

If this latest information does prove to be true, then it is in someways contrary to the position maintained by McLaren team boss, Ron Dennis – namely that Coughlan acted alone.

“McLaren has completed a thorough investigation and can confirm that no Ferrari intellectual property has been passed to any other members of the team or incorporated into its car,” read a statement from McLaren team earlier this month.

In another report meanwhile, The Times says that Ferrari's ex-head of performance, Nigel Stepney – thought to be the source of the leak – is not named by Coughlan in his affidavit. Indeed Coughlan merely reveals that he received the information by an ‘express courier' mail service.

When he got the documents is also in dispute, and while it was originally reported that he had them from April, the FIA believes he may have had them from March and Ferrari believe more information could have been sent in May.

Whatever the truth, if McLaren are found guilty, the team could face severe punishment - including, worst case scenario, exclusion from the championship.

For the record, it should be noted that McLaren - and Stepney - have always maintained their innocence.

[CVT]

Update on this saga...... FIA Meeting tomorrow....

It looks like the flexible floor of Ferrari is the fuse in this bomb, because if it was just a tip, why would a team protest it with certainty? (Unless it has the salient features of the design?)..... Well, we'll see how the FIA manages this controversy....

from: http://home.skysports.com/

McLaren to lose Alonso?

According to reports in Spain, Fernando Alonso would be free to leave McLaren should the Woking team be found guilty in the espionage scandal currently engulfing Formula One.

Although opinion is split regarding the outcome of Thursday's FIA hearing into the matter, as.com has claimed there could be yet another 'penalty' for Ron Dennis's outfit should any blame be laid at its door.

Sanctions, should the team be found culpable of benefiting from Mike Coughlan's decision accept a 700-page dossier of information from a Ferrari insider, could range from a heavy fine, via the loss of all constructors' championship points, to the stripping of all points in both the teams' and drivers' championships.

Such an outcome would leave Alonso and current leader Lewis Hamilton with nothing to show for their five wins and consistent podium appearances this season.

However, it is now being alleged that the two-time world champion could be free to leave McLaren should his image be damaged by the team's involvement in the scandal.

Dennis has repeatedly claimed that nothing contained in the Ferrari technical package has appeared on McLaren's MP4-22 - which returned to winning ways with Alonso at the Nurburgring on Sunday - but paddock rumour claims that the FIA has enough proof that the information has been used to throw the book at McLaren.

Despite Dennis's denials regarding the use of Ferrari intellectual property on McLaren's car, the information could nevertheless have potentially been used to gain a competitive advantage.

McLaren also launched a successful protest against the 'flexible floor' introduced by Ferrari at the start of the season - something cynics say would not have been possible without back-up information detailing the part - based on email conversations between Coughlan and Ferrari's Nigel Stepney.

------------------------------------------

Other update: Ferrari refused Stepney's request for a one-on-one meeting with JT.

3303:shocked:

[CVT]

McLaren is cleared!

from: www.news.com.au/heraldsun

FORMULA One giants Ferrari are outraged that rivals McLaren have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the espionage affair that has rocked the sport.
An extraordinary hearing of the 25-strong FIA World Motor Sports Council found that McLaren did not benefit from the confidential Ferrari documents that were found in the possession of their chief designer.

If found guilty McLaren, whose driver Lewis Hamilton is leading the drivers' championship, faced being docked points.

A relieved McLaren team boss Ron Dennis said on leaving the hearing in Paris: "The punishment fits the crime.''

But McLaren were warned in an FIA statement that if they are ever found to have used the information passed to Mike Coughlan, their suspended designer, by a disaffected Ferrari employee then they risked being kicked out of the 2007 and 2008 season.

Ferrari did not accept the decision.

"Ferrari notes that McLaren-Mercedes has been found guilty by the FIA World Council,'' the team said in a statement, referring to the fact that by being in possession of the files, McLaren were in breach of the sporting code.

"It, therefore, finds it incomprehensible that violating the fundemental principal of sporting honesty does not have, as a logical and inevitable consequence, the application of a sanction.

"Today's decision legitimises dishonest behaviour in Formula One and sets a very bad precedent.

"Ferrari feels this is highly prejudicial to the credibility of the sport. It will continue with the legal action already underway within the Italian criminal justice system and in the civil courts in England.''

3303:shocked:

[BoyFerrari]

I'm also perplexed as to why the FIA did not give McLaren any kind of penalty in whatever form for the mere proven fact that they were caught red-handed with a Ferrari confidential manual in the hands of their chief designer. Amazing render of justice. Even some points deduction would have been warranted.

[CVT]

Ayos itong kaso na ito.....

Ngayon, ang McLaren naman ang rumeresbak sa Ferrari. Pinapa-nullify ni RD ang points ng Ferrari sa Australian GP dahil illegal daw ang kotse nila noon.....

3404:surfing:

[CVT]

Actually, I was really pleasantly surprised how fast McLaren was able to adapt to the new Bridgestone tyres and how fast they were able to improve the reliability of their engines. I am leaving this as it is for now.... until the 26th.....
3303:shocked:

Hehehe,- lover boy Flavio is thinking in the same line, regarding McLaren's quick adaptability to the Bridgestone tyres. I understand that the distribution of the car's weight is a big factor on how the tyres can be efficiently and effectively used. Theoretically, Ferrari should be leading all the teams in this respect because of its long history of testing with Bridgestone tyres.. Well,.......

from:http://www.homeofsport.com

Spy knowledge boosted McLaren - Briatore

Posted 07 August 2007 at 08:41 GMT

Flavio Briatore has suggested that McLaren was only able to keep up with Ferrari this year because of the spy scandal.

The Renault boss, who respectively beat McLaren and Ferrari for the world championships in 2005 and 2006, said he does not believe his counterpart Ron Dennis that no-one except Mike Coughlan at McLaren knew about the 780-page dossier of Ferrari secrets.

Briatore said the biggest disadvantage compared to Ferrari this year was its rivals' lack of knowledge of the Bridgestone tyres.

"Had I only known Ferrari's weight distribution, or how big their tank is, if I had a bit of those documents, then we surely wouldn't be in this situation today," the Italian told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

McLaren is currently subject to the suspicions of the FIA about the espionage saga, but Dennis insists that his suspended chief designer Coughlan acted entirely alone.

Briatore charged: "Dennis says he's immaculate, but it's hard to believe him. No, I don't believe in his good faith.

"In a team everyone knows everything."

He also criticised Dennis for not yet sacking Coughlan, while Ferrari has on the other hand dismissed alleged McLaren informer Nigel Stepney.

"It's an extremely serious thing that he hasn't yet been fired," Briatore said, referring to Coughlan.

"All the team managers should say that in F1 there's no more room for them."

3404:surfing:

[mazdamazda]

Another update... almost a month to go before we know the new verdict.

The International Court of Appeal (ICA) will meet in Paris on Thursday, September 13 to review the World Motor Sport Council’s recent decision not to penalise McLaren for possessing confidential Ferrari data.

The Council found McLaren to have breached the International Sporting Code through their actions, but imposed no sanction as it could find insufficient evidence that the team had made use of the data.

However, FIA President Max Mosley decided to refer the matter to the International Court of Appeal due to the importance of the case and because of claims that Ferrari had not had sufficient opportunity to put forward their version of events.

In fact, Ferrari and all other teams will be allowed to make any relevant submissions to the Court, and all have been invited to attend the hearing, along with members of the press.

[mazdamazda]

The appeal to the ICA has been cancelled!

A new hearing will be held in light of new evidence... the question now is would it be against or for McLaren?

The FIA’s statement in full:
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
FIA World Motor Sport Council Decision July 26th, 2007
05.09.2007

Following the receipt of new evidence the World Motor Sport Council has been reconvened for a hearing in Paris on September 13th.

In accordance with its decision of July 26th representatives of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes have been invited to attend the hearing.

The FIA President’s referral of the matter to the International Court of Appeal has been withdrawn.