Formula 1: McLaren
spying on Ferrari
The efforts of Lewis
Hamilton are under threat, after a Formula 1 scandal reveals
that McLaren Mercedes may have been spying on rival Ferrari.
McLaren
have suspended chief designer Mike Coughlan, who is being
accused of receiving technical information from Ferrari
employee.
The revelation comes after Ferrari
launched an internal investigation into their own employee, the
former team manager Nigel Stepney. According to the Italian
Formula 1 team, Stepney has been stealing parts and technical
data, which he later delivered to other Formula 1 teams. No
official charges have been filed against Nigel Stepney, but a
formal complaint has been submitted to the court and the Italian
police is investigating Stepney.
Mike Coughlan is said to be the only McLaren employee who
has received information from Stepney, although McLaren would
not make the name of the engineer accused of spying public.
Coughlan and Stepney worked together at the Benetton team in the
early 1990s and later at Ferrari's old UK design studio. Mike
Coughlan lawyers announced that the engineer will hold a press
conference later this week to prove his innocence.
Ferrari told journalists during a press
conference:
"We have proof that Stepney had been
supplying technical information to a McLaren employee. A search
was carried out of the (McLaren) engineer's house, where we
found this information."
McLaren Mercedes responded with the
following press release:
"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 cars. McLaren has in the meantime openly
disclosed these matters to the FIA and Ferrari and sought to
satisfy any concerns that have arisen from this matter. In order
to address some of the speculation McLaren has invited the FIA
to conduct a full review of its cars to satisfy itself that the
team has not benefited from any intellectual property of another
competitor."
This new development could cast a shadow
over the McLaren's top-rookie and current Formula 1 drivers'
leader Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton and his teammate Fernando Alonso
are the leading drivers, and Lewis Hamilton is 17 points ahead
of Felipe Massa, the leading Ferrari driver.
The next Formula 1 race is the British
Grand Prix on Sunday, July 8th. The British online sportsbook
Bet365 have Kimi Raikkonen as
their favorite to win the race with odds 9/4, followed by Lewis
Hamilton and Felipe Massa both with 5/2 on the British Grand
Prix.
Published on 07/04/2007
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