source:Formula One news: Ferrari confirms case against McLaren member - GPUpdate.net Formula One
Ferrari confirms case against McLaren member
04 July 2007
After McLaren announced that it has suspended a senior member of its technical team the Ferrari team announced that it has recently presented a case against Nigel Stepney and an engineer from the McLaren-Mercedes team with the Modena Tribunal, concerning the theft of technical information.
The Italian team furthermore confirmed that legal action has been instigated in England and a search warrant has been issued concerning the McLaren engineer. This produced a positive outcome when it is believed that police found incriminating evidence at the McLaren employee's house on Tuesday. Ferrari also confirmed on Tuesday that it had dismissed Nigel Stepney after he had been suspected of sabotage for some time, allegedly tampering with the fuel tanks on the Ferrari cars prior to the Monaco Grand Prix. However, it would seem that the revelation that a McLaren employee received technical information from a Ferrari insider has been the breakthrough in this case and the tipping factor in Stepney's dismissal.
Indeed, the saga was dealt a significant twist when it was discovered that the team involved in the espionage was bitter championship rivals McLaren. With Stepney's future at the team in doubt so far this season, it was suspected that the potential recipient of information from him would be his future employer, whomever that could have been. However Ferrari will be relieved that the negative attention will have shifted to none other than the team that it is at loggerheads with on the track. McLaren was quick to state that the actions of its suspected employee were personal and had nothing to do with the organisation.
Already it would seem that Ferrari is on the lookout for possible FIA sanctions against its championship rivals. A statement from the Maranello-based team read: "Ferrari reserves the right to consider all implications, be they criminal, civil or of any other nature, according to applicable laws."
