Formula 1: McLaren guilty, no penalty, says FIA

The Formula-1 governing body, FIA, found McLaren to be guilty in the Ferrari spying case, but no punishment will follow.

Formula 1: McLaren guilty, no penalty, says FIA The sport's highest governing body made its decision in the McLaren-Ferrari spying case. According to FIA, McLaren was found guilty of possession of Ferrari documents, but there are no indications that the Mercedes team had used the papers to benefit in any way.

The bottom line - no penalty for any team, no points being taken, the race goes on.

"The WMSC was satisfied that McLaren was in possession of confidential Ferrari information and is therefore in breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code. However there is insufficient evidence to show that this information was used to interfere improperly with the FIA F1 championship. We therefore impose no penalty," FIA statement read.

FIA ruled that there is no evidence that McLaren used the Ferrari documents to benefit during the season. But FIA will monitor the British team and warned that if McLaren was in future found to have used the information passed to Mike Coughlan, their former chief designer, by a disaffected Ferrari employee, it would risk being kicked out of the '07 and '08 championships.

Meanwhile, former Ferrari engineer Nigel Stepney and suspended McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan are to be called before the FIA in connection with the investigation. The World Motor Sport Council said that Stepney and Coughlan should show reason why they should not be banned from international motor sport. Both men are already subject to legal proceedings by Ferrari over the documents and Italian authorities are investigating the matter.

Nigel Stepney, who was a Ferrari engineer, stands accused of supplying technical information to the former MCLaren chief engineer Mike Coughlan. The scandal broke earlier this month, after Ferrari suspended Stepney and accused Coughlan of being on the receiving end of the illegal spying. Coughlan and Stepney worked together at the Benetton team in the early 1990s and later at Ferrari's old UK design studio.

Published on 07/26/2007