Filed under: Motorsports, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari
F1 espionage case, Pt. II: The Appeal
FIA President Max Mosley (above) announced today that last week's decision by the World Motor sport council will be appealed. It appears the Italian motorsport authorities didn't like the idea of McLaren getting off so easily. Although they found that McLaren had indeed been given Ferrari's confidential materials, the group decided that the British team hadn't benefited from that info and no penalty was assessed. A warning was issued that if their feelings on that matter changed for any reason later in the season, they would revisit their penalty options. One of the reasons for the appeal is that Ferrari wasn't there. Mosley agreed that the outcome of the hearing may have been different if the Maranello firm had attended.
And while all this was going on, one of the parties involved said he thinks there is still a leak at Ferrari. Former head designer, Nigel Stepney, says that the person inside Ferrari who used him as a courier is still with the team. In his statements he makes the Formula 1 world sound like something straight out of a James Bond movie. Well, maybe Austin Powers. Stepney says that Ferrari knows more about the situation than it is admitting. He even claims that he was set up on this issue and on another one from a while back. At one point he had been investigated when a mysterious white powder had been found in the race cars' fuel tanks. He says that he was framed, and that the real culprit put the powder in his pocket while he was taking a shower!
Damn, this is getting good!
Thanks, Jay.
[Source: PitPass]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
John P. 7:25PM (8/01/2007)
Gotta do something to make F1 interesting again, but this stuff sounds like some bad soap opera plot. Next we'll find out Mr. Ferrari himself comes back from the dead to put his two cents in.
Ouch.
Reply
Hwins 8:52PM (8/01/2007)
Well, we already had it with Le Tour.
Just wait until the last week or so and then eliminate Hamilton and Alonso, who will almost certainly be #1 and #2. Everyone moves up, everyone feels better. Well almost everyone.
Reply
Ian 9:38PM (8/01/2007)
You should print Ron Dennis' letter just issued, it's full of detail.
Reply
Schwag of Tulsa 10:11PM (8/01/2007)
So Moseley is allowing the appeal to go forward because Ferrari couldn't be bothered to show up for the orignal hearing? Hunh?
Reply
mongo 4:55AM (8/02/2007)
Ferrari WAS allowed to attend the meeting, but only as a spectator. They were not given an opportunity to present evidence -- that's what the appeal is about.
thetruth 7:38AM (8/02/2007)
Exactly, who cares !
Reply
Gooch 8:42AM (8/02/2007)
Stepney was the chief mechanic, not the head designer.
The F1 saga is actually quite irritating and taking a lot away from what has become an enthralling championship season. All of the principals in the championship have won races, and it looks as if the only difference is what type of track the cars are running on. On the long, fast tracks with few tight turns, the Ferraris are dominant, but on the slow tracks with technical layouts, the McLarens come to the fore. Hungary -- I think it's going to be the Hamilton-Alonso show. Spa, Italy -- Ferraris.
Reply