Espionage Affair 2007: McLaren-Mercedes Sinks

Interesting evidence related to the espionage case that shook the 2007 Formula 1 season was gathered during the search at McLaren. This evidence may demonstrate the team’s responsibility in the scandal, said the Italian police.

Senior members of the British team were questioned on Wednesday by Italian investigators in Britain under a legal request made by Ferrari last year.

The material taken from the team’s buildings will be integrated into the vast body of evidence from which the responsibilities of certain high-ranking technicians at McLaren clearly emerge, a police officer said in a statement.

Giuseppe Tibis, who is the prosecutor for Ferrari in the Province of Modena, is behind last Wednesday’s search of the Woking team’s premises.

The police stated that they went to McLaren’s technology center to see Ron Dennis, CEO Martin Whitmarsh, engineering director Paddy Lowe, and senior officials such as Jonathan Neale and Rob Taylor.

McLaren had nevertheless indicated that the police were entirely satisfied with the cooperation they received.

The team suspended its chief designer Mike Coughlan last July after a dossier containing technical information from Ferrari was found at his home in England.

Ferrari easily won both possible titles in F1 last season after McLaren was hit with a record fine of $100 million and was stripped of all its points in the constructors’ championship.

Tibis has already interviewed the former McLaren driver, Fernando Alonso, and the Spanish test driver Pedro de la Rosa.

Stepney, who is also accused of sabotage by Ferrari, still denies this accusation even after being questioned by the prosecutor last week in Italy.