Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[McLaren-Ferrari spy scandal draws to an end]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/24/mclaren-ferrari-spy-scandal-draws-to-an-end/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/24/mclaren-ferrari-spy-scandal-draws-to-an-end/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/24/mclaren-ferrari-spy-scandal-draws-to-an-end/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The two-year-old Stepneygate saga - long and complex enough to rival any of the Icelandic sagas - is finally over. A court in Modena, Italy has smacked four McLaren employees with six-figure fines: senior engineers Rod Taylor, Jonathan Neale, and Paddy Lowe are on the hook for €150,000 each (around $190,000 USD); chief designer Mike Coughlan got hit with a €180,000 fine (nearly $230,000).

The only thing left to decide: Who is actually going to pay the bill. Reports indicate that McLaren will pay the senior engineers' bill, but Coughlan could be on his own. As for the eponymous instigator of the entire affair, former Ferrari engineer Nigel Stepney (pictured) is still being sought by Italian prosecutors for industrial espionage and for team sabotage at the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix.

[Source: Associated Press (via Google)]

McLaren-Ferrari spy scandal draws to an end originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>espionagef1ferrarifiafomula 1Fomula1formula oneFormulaOnemclarenmike coughlanMikeCoughlannigel stepneyNigelStepneystepneygateTue, 24 Feb 2009 10:27:00 EST<![CDATA[The Stepneygate postmortem -- what really happened in the F1 espionage scandal]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/22/the-stepneygate-postmortem-what-really-happened-in-the-f1-esp/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/22/the-stepneygate-postmortem-what-really-happened-in-the-f1-esp/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/22/the-stepneygate-postmortem-what-really-happened-in-the-f1-esp/#commentsFiled under: ,



Wired has posted a lengthy and thorough dissection of what really happened in last year's Stepneygate F1 scandal. The affair turned Ferrari an even more scarlet red, sucked $100,000,000 from McLaren's bank account and eliminated the team from the constructor's championship, ended the F1 careers of two F1 honchos, and possibly ended Ron Dennis' marriage.

And of course, being F1, it all starts with a tall blond, a sheaf of illegally-possessed documents, and a copy machine. After that come clandestine meetings in airports, furtive text messages, and sabotage. It's probably as close as you're going to get to Bourne or Bond in real life. Follow the link to read the full story.

Thanks for the tip, Todd!

[Source: Wired]

The Stepneygate postmortem -- what really happened in the F1 espionage scandal originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 May 2008 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>espionagef1f1 espionage scandalf1 spy scandalF1EspionageScandalF1SpyScandalferrariformula 1Formula1mclarenmike coughlanMikeCoughlannigel stepneyNigelStepneyspy spandalSpySpandalstepneygateThu, 22 May 2008 18:58:00 EST<![CDATA[F1 Results: McLaren cleared of wrongdoing in Ferrari tech theft flap]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/26/f1-results-mclaren-cleared-of-wrongdoing-in-ferrari-tech-theft/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/26/f1-results-mclaren-cleared-of-wrongdoing-in-ferrari-tech-theft/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/26/f1-results-mclaren-cleared-of-wrongdoing-in-ferrari-tech-theft/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Remember the case of the former Ferrari Formula 1 tech who shared his company's secrets with rival McLaren-Mercedes? The FIA has announced that it has concluded its investigation into that matter and Team McLaren-Mercedes will not be penalized. Formula 1's governing body held an "extraordinary meeting" of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris today and found that although McLaren did in fact have possession of confidential Ferrari material, there was 'insufficient evidence that it had been used in such a way as to interfere improperly with the FIA Formula 1 World Championship'. So no penalty was given to McLaren-Mercedes.

But the announcement came with a warning. If that information is used "to the detriment of the sport" in the future, the FIA might not be so lenient next time. The suggestion was made that if this were to occur, Ron Dennis and his team would face the 'possibility of exclusion' from the 2007 championship, which they are currently leading. They would also be eliminated from competing in 2008. Disqualification should be a pretty big deterrent, we imagine. Not getting off as easy are the two men at the heart of the issue.

McLaren's chief designer, Mike Coughlan, and Ferrari's former head of performance development, Nigel Stepney, have been 'invited' by the FIA to 'show reasons why they should not be banned from international motor sport for a lengthy period'. Ouch. Should be interesting to hear their responses. We'll keep you posted.

[Source: Crash.net]

F1 Results: McLaren cleared of wrongdoing in Ferrari tech theft flap originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>F1FIAFormula 1Formula OneFormula1FormulaOneMcLarenMcLaren-MercedesMike CoughlanMikeCoughlanNigel StepneyNigelStepneyRon DennisRonDennisThu, 26 Jul 2007 14:24:00 EST