McLaren is inflexible: Renault gained an advantage…

McLaren categorically states that Renault has gained a clear « advantage and an unfair » advantage over one of its rivals by using McLaren’s intellectual property.

This statement is the consequence of the possible espionage case between the French team and the British team.

In a legal request filed with the FIA, as Renault is summoned to appear before the World Motor Sport Council next month, McLaren’s lawyers take the issue of intellectual property violation very seriously.

And they are sure that former McLaren engineer Phil Mackareth left taking information about his former team with him to subsequently join his new employer: Renault. This information is said to have been used to the benefit of the French cars.

In the statement, the lawyers declare: « It is clear that confidential McLaren information on car designs was knowingly, deliberately, and widely disseminated and discussed within the Renault F1 Team. The individuals directly involved are the engineering team members. Renault has improperly benefited from it. »

According to some sources, McLaren’s lawyers have also expressed some frustration with how Renault handled the issue.

It is understood that the lawyers complained in writing about the cavalier attitude of Renault and more specifically of senior officials during the investigation. Justifiably, some people’s thoughts could be incomplete or misleading, as some team members reportedly provided contradictory statements.

Renault is expected on December 6th by the FIA to respond to the accusations made against it.

It is understood that the potential evidence concerns 780 different drawings that describe the technical setup of McLaren’s 2006 and 2007 single-seaters. The figure of 780 drawings is similar to the number of drawings that were present in the Ferrari-McLaren dossier.

McLaren’s lawyers claim that information related to their team was reviewed by 18 members from Renault, involving at least seven senior officials, including chief designer Tim Densham, deputy technical director James Allison, and director of Research and Development Robin Tuluie.