Another week, another race and another twist in the in the Ferrari/McLaren spy scandal.
Having found new evidence in the case, the FIA reconvened the World Motor Sport Council in Paris Sept. 13. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes now faces new charges and the possibility of stiff penalties.
What’s not known is, who tipped off the FIA with the fresh evidence. Flavio Briatore laughed off stories that he was the one.
Just what that evidence is would not be revealed before the hearing, but the FIA requested McLaren drivers Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Pedro de la Rosa to submit copies of all correspondence between themselves and the team that could be relevant to the case.
The story making the rounds in the Monza paddock was that the McLaren drivers allegedly exchanged e-mails regarding the Ferrari chassis setup, and if this were indeed true it would prove that the team had inside information about Ferrari. But all this is speculation pending the hearing. McLaren says it has nothing to hide.
“McLaren Racing has been made aware that new evidence has been presented to the FIA as part of their ongoing investigation,” a team statement said. “McLaren will continue to cooperate fully with the FIA.”
FIA president Max Mosley’s letter to the drivers, released to the media and the other teams, asked them for copies of any correspondence,“which may be relevant to this case and which make reference to Ferrari, Nigel Stepney or any technical or other information coming from or connected with either Ferrari or Mr. Stepney.”
If they were not able to produce hard copies, Mosley asked them to “please describe the content of the document in question, the circumstances under which it came to your knowledge and the reasons why you are unable to produce it.”
Mosley finished the letter with a stern warning and an olive branch.
“It is therefore imperative that if you do have any such information, you make it available to us without delay,” he wrote. “I can confirm, given the importance of this issue, that any information you may make available in response to this letter will not result in any proceedings against you under the International Sporting Code or the Formula One regulations. However, in the event that it later comes to light that you have withheld any potentially relevant information, serious consequences could follow.”
So the McLaren drivers are being offered amnesty if they reveal all. Does this mean that they will not be stripped of their points in the Drivers Championship even if McLaren, if guilty, loses its Constructor Championship points?
On Saturday four members of Modena Magistrate visited the team to warn it that it was part of an ongoing investigation. No charges were filed.
Basically, as per Italian law, they were trying to establish if the team was drawn into the legal issue that it would have proper representation in Italy that it could advise them of.
McLaren put out a statement saying it strongly “suspected that the nature and timing of this wholly unnecessary contact, just before the start of qualifying, was to disrupt our preparation for this important session and Thursday’s...hearing.”
Dennis says that this is by far the most trying time he has ever been through in F-1. But it would not push him into retirement.
“I think there are a few people around who would like me to (retire),” he said. “If it’s something I thought would further the interests of the company, and that I thought was the right thing to do, then I wouldn’t hesitate to do it. But I don’t think it’s the right thing to do.”
Ironically, Dennis said he had been considering reducing his role in the team before all of this started.