Ferrari F1 sabotage? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Craven Morehead · 06-22-2007, 09:01 PM

What might be one of the most exciting F1 seasons in years, just got a little more interesting.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/spo...cle1975262.ece

Quote:

From The TimesJune 23, 2007

Ferrari team’s top mechanic is accused of sabotaging their race cars

Edward Gorman, Motor racing Correspondent
A leading Formula One mechanic is being investigated by police after allegations that he attempted to sabotage two Ferrari racing cars. Nigel Stepney, who earns £750,000 a year as Ferrari’s head of team performance development, is alleged to have interfered with the fuel system of cars driven by Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen.

Mr Stepney, from Warwickshire, was reported to the Italian police after a mysterious white powder was found in the petrol tanks only days before the Monaco grand prix.

He was passed over for promotion earlier this year and is reported to have been looking to move to a new team. Since the mysterious powder was discovered, the Ferrari team’s performance has fallen in the past three grands prix.

The world of Formula One was stunned yesterday after Ferrari confirmed it had held an investigation into Mr Stepney, 47. Although the sport is famous for shenanigans between teams, with fines for cheating and prosecutions for selling secrets to rivals, no one has previously been investigated for trying to sabotage their own cars.

A criminal investigation into the alleged sabotage has been started by the district attorney in Modena after he received evidence from the internal inquiry held at the Ferrari team factory in Maranello, northern Italy.

Luca Colajanni, a Ferrari spokesman, told The Times: “Ferrari can confirm that we have brought an action against Nigel Stepney and that there is an internal disciplinary procedure against him.”

The investigation into Mr Stepney is being seen as a sign that since the retirement of Michael Schumacher, its star driver, and several other key team members, Ferrari is losing the cohesion that made it such a formidable force.

Mr Colajanni dismissed such talk. “This is a sign, if the investigation is confirmed, that someone has lost his team spirit because he is not happy with the choices made by the team management. It is not correct to say the team is falling apart.”

Mr Stepney was believed to be on holiday in Asia yesterday with his Brazilian wife and their baby.

After trials at Coventry City as a schoolboy goalkeeper, he started his career in motorsport as a 16-year-old apprentice mechanic at the Broadspeed Touring Cars outfit at Southam, near Rugby. He joined Ferrari 13 years ago and had worked closely with Schumacher until the most successful driver in Formula One history retired at the end of last year.

However, despite the success of the past decade Mr Stepney’s relationship with Ferrari turned sour when he was overlooked for promotion He told Autosport magazine: “I’m not currently happy with the situation within the team – I really want to move forward with my career and that's something that’s not happening right now. Ideally I’d like to move into a new environment here at Ferrari, but if an opportunity arose with another team, I would definitely consider it.”

This season Ferrari started well, with a win for Raikkonen in Australia and then two for Massa in Bahrain and Spain. But since Monaco at the end of last month, where Massa finished third and Raikkonen eighth, the team has slipped behind the McLaren Mercedes cars of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

Jetée · 06-22-2007, 09:10 PM

Only to be little skeptical and promote a healthy discussion, what is your take on the article?

The original poster is supposed to set the stage for the oncoming responses from fellow members.

So, what is it that you find interesting, if not outrageous, about this article?

bobby · 06-23-2007, 07:24 AM

seriously,your reply....or maybe conspiracies are alive and well?...xoxoxoo

Craven Morehead · 06-23-2007, 07:36 AM

F1 is always full of drama. This year Ferrari is supposedly off its game, although the teams does have three wins in seven races. 7 time WDC Michael Schumacher retired at the end of last year and Technical Director Ross Brawn is on a one year sabbatical plus several other organizational changes in the off season. All eyes have been on the team to see if they have slipped up. There have been hints of industrial espionage between teams before this and as the article calls it 'shenanigans', but never an internal sabotage. At least to my memory. Ferrari fans are rabid, especially Italian Ferrari fans. Stepney should be fearing for his life about now, I'm half serious about that but he will feel their wrath. As I said F1 is full of drama. This adds to that and will be a major side-story as the season plays out. Its news worthy is you follow F1. I'm not sure if the story in itself is worthy of debate but there are a few F1 fans here at TFP and F1 coverage in the US is slight at best so I thought I'd throw it on TFP to inform the other fans.

Discuss if you wish.

bobby · 06-23-2007, 08:00 AM

several mechanics have been convited lately of stealing "secret" info and passing it on to other teams...will look it up...xoxoxoo

Shauk · 06-23-2007, 08:33 AM

well it's kinda funny to me that thier evidence is merely "white powder"

that could be... anything....

the only real motive I see here is ferrari being butthurt about the publicity from someone who's given thier company his life, if anything I'd say ferrari could be setting him up. White powder does not sit as solid evidence with me, and unless they have video footage of him screwing up cars on purpose, i'm gonna have to let my natural distrust of corporations leave me unmoved in favor of neither one.

Jetée · 06-23-2007, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobby

several mechanics have been convited lately of stealing "secret" info and passing it on to other teams...will look it up...xoxoxoo

I, too, heard of this... maybe there are some lurkings in the world of F-1...

powerclown · 06-23-2007, 10:00 AM

Right CM, Ferrari have always needed forceful personalities in the team to keep them from descending into this kind of drama and internal chaos. In the 70s it was Niki Lauda. One man alone revived and kept Ferrari together for the last 10 years, Michael Schumacher (and some of the top engineers, to a lesser extent). They now have 2 under-performing drivers, and Stepney is apparently unhappy with the new politics at Ferrari, post-Schumacher. I'd like to see Alonso at Ferrari somehow, but in the meantime Raikkonen needs to wake up, drive like he is capable of driving and start winning races. Winning is the only thing that keeps Ferrari in line.

bobby · 06-23-2007, 12:16 PM

tepney's lawyer denies sabotage
''It doesn't seem credible to me''
23/06/07 17:21

the other side of the story?.....xoxoxoo

Zoom
Accusations and denials at Ferrari

The lawyer of Englishman Nigel Stepney, the former Ferrari Technical Manager accused of sabotaging the Italian team ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, dismissed the accusation against his client on Saturday.

Ferrari on Friday announced that they had requested prosecutors in Modena to open an enquiry into Stepney, who is facing a criminal investigation following an official complaint filed by the team last month.

"The only thing I can say is that Stepney has been placed under investigation but the charge is at present very hazy and uncertain," lawyer Luca Brezigar told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"From what I've heard there are a number of legal definitions such as aggravated damage or sporting fraud, but I would exclude sabotage," he added.

According to sources, traces of a mysterious powder were discovered on the fuel tanks of the cars of Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen and Brazilian Felipe Massa on May 21 at the Maranello factory, six days before the Monaco Grand Prix.

Brezigar, who was appointed by the court, said that he has had "no contact" with his client, adding that the whereabouts of Stepney were unknown although he ruled out that the Englishman has fled.

"I'm convinced that he is on holidays. It doesn't seem credible to me that a professional of his calibre could damage his own team," added Brezigar, whose client's home at Serramazzoni, 40km outside Modena, was searched on Friday.

Stepney, who remains a Ferrari employee, had requested at the end of 2006 to cease traveling to the Grand Prix circuits and had been given a factory-based position in Maranello relating to development and performance.

powerclown · 06-24-2007, 05:41 PM

I can't see a guy with Nigel Stepney's experience and success trying something as petty as sabotaging one of his cars....even on the way out of Ferrari. I'd be more inclined to think it was someone within Ferrari looking to blame someone for Ferrari's recent poor results.

desal75 · 06-25-2007, 12:41 PM

Weren't some Toyota team members convicted of bringing secrets over from Ferrari a couple of years ago?

The whole thing strikes me as odd. I can't see a major team doing something like this without some hint of truth but at the same time I can't see a man of Stepney's expertise doing something along these lines. we'll have to see how it plays out.

powerclown · 06-25-2007, 03:56 PM

Good call...I thought it was to Honda, but youre right it was Toyota.

It looks like Todt is getting into it as well. With Todts negative comments about Massa's red flag in Canada, and now this, Ferrari seem to have lost focus. I also wonder if Schumacher's presence is a distraction to either of the drivers?

Quote:

Todt Rejects Stepney's Innocence

Jun.25 (GMM) Jean Todt has rebutted Nigel Stepney's claim that the British engineer did "nothing wrong" to trigger an investigation into possible sabotage of the Ferrari team.

Speaking through his lawyer from the Philippines, 47-year-old Stepney said: "I am innocent. I have done nothing wrong."

His Italian lawyer Sonia Bartolini, meanwhile, said Stepney will soon return from his holiday and probably hold a press conference to attempt to "clear his name".

But Ferrari boss Todt countered to La Gazzetta dello Sport: "The fact that we requested the intervention of the public prosecutor's office demonstrates that we have discovered something unlawful."

Asked by the Italian sports daily specifically about reports of "sabotage", however, the Frenchman added: "I will not comment on that at the moment."

Craven Morehead · 07-03-2007, 08:46 AM

First article from the Speed TV website
http://www.speedtv.com./articles/auto/formulaone/38487/

Quote:

F1: Ferrari Dismisses Nigel Stepney
Written by: RACER staff
Modena, Italy – 7/3/2007

Nigel Stepney, the British engineer accused by Ferrari of attempting to sabotage the team, has been officially fired by the Maranello squad.

Since last month, Stepney has been in the center of a controversy after Ferrari went to Modena’s district attorney office to file a complaint that triggered an investigation against its former chief mechanic, which, however, remained formally tied to the company. Shortly after, Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper reported that a “mysterious powder” had been found in the tanks of Felipe Massa’s and Kimi Raikkonen’s cars ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix.

In an interview to London’s Sunday Times, Stepney then claimed innocence, crediting the accusations to a “dirty tricks campaign.”

Finally, however, the Scuderia has decided to dismiss Stepney. "An internal disciplinary procedure has been completed and Nigel Stepney is no longer an employee of Ferrari," a Ferrari spokesman told autosport.com.

Stepney’s lawyer, Sonia Bartolini, revealed that the engineer intends to call a press conference to give his side of the story upon his return to Italy from a holiday trip to the Philippines, due to occur later this week.

Not sure if the following is related. Its is from a subscription racing website I bleong to. However, the article is attributed to McLaren.

Quote:

07/03/07 McLaren employee suspended after Ferrari investigation McLaren became aware on the 3rd July 2007 that a senior member of its technical organization was the subject of a Ferrari investigation regarding the receipt of technical information. The team has learnt that this individual had personally received a package of technical information from a Ferrari employee at the end of April.

Whilst McLaren has no involvement in the matter and condemns such actions it will fully co-operate with any investigation. The individual has in the meanwhile been suspended by the company pending a full and proper investigation of the matter.

No further comment will be made. McLaren statement

Nothing like F1 for drama. Will be interesting to see how both of these stories develop, assuming they aren't related. Wouldn't surprise me if they are. If Stepney signs on at McLaren in the next day or two, then I would suppose they are related.

from Atlas F1

Quote:

McLaren suspect is Mike Coughlan

By Jonathan Noble and Biranit Goren Tuesday, July 3rd 2007, 18:44 GMT

Mike Coughlan, McLaren's chief designer, is the senior engineer suspected of espionage against Ferrari, autosport.com has learned.

The 48-year-old Briton is suspected of unlawfully obtaining technical material belonging to Ferrari in collaboration with Ferrari's Nigel Stepney.

In a search conducted by the police at Coughlan's house today, documents allegedly belonging to Ferrari were found, leading McLaren to suspend him while Ferrari said they reserve the right to pursue further legal action.

Coughlan joined McLaren as chief designer in August 2002 after four years with the Arrows F1 team. His initial role there was chief designer, and in the last couple of years at Arrows he was promoted to technical director.

Coughlan was also head of the design office at Benetton in 1991, and later in his career worked for the Ferrari Design and Development office in England. He also worked as race engineer at Tyrrell in the mid-1990s.

Quote:

Analysis: the remarkable Stepneygate saga

By Adam Cooper Tuesday, July 3rd 2007, 23:03 GMT

'Stepneygate' has sent shock waves through Formula One in recent days, and Tuesday's news that a senior McLaren employee is involved in obtaining stolen documents belonging to Ferrari has added yet another dimension to the story.

Ferrari and McLaren have had a highly charged rivalry for three decades now, but this latest episode is perhaps the strangest yet.

The 'Dream Team' Disbanded

Nigel Stepney began his motorsport career in the 1970s, when he worked for the Broadspeed touring car team, before moving through stints at Shadow and Lotus - where he worked with Ayrton Senna.

From 1988 to 1992 he was at Benetton as chief mechanic. He earned a reputation as a good organiser who paid attention to detail and kept the troops in line. That was just what Ferrari needed when he was head-hunted by former Benetton colleague John Barnard in 1993, shortly before Jean Todt joined the Italian team.

He knew Michael Schumacher, Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne in his time at Benetton, so when they came to Maranello in 1996 and 1997, it was a reuniting of the old gang.

Through the Schumacher glory years, Stepney received a lot of the credit for getting the team on track, especially in terms of reliability and improved preparation. He also became better known after Schumacher ran him over during a pitstop in the 2000 Spanish Grand Prix; after that incident, he gave the lollipop job to someone else...

His job title changed from that of chief mechanic to that of race technical manager. He was clearly a key part of the 'Dream Team', and indeed on occasion he went on to the podium to represent Ferrari and pick up the constructors' trophy.

There was no reason to suspect he was anything but very happy at Ferrari until some time last year, when in conversation he casually mentioned that he was hoping to switch to a factory-based job in 2008.

Schumacher was about to announce his retirement, and Brawn was going on a sabbatical. Like them, Stepney used up a lot of energy through those championship-chasing years, and presumably he quite liked the idea of slowing down, thinking about new challenges.

But he also made it clear that with Schumacher not driving, and even more importantly with Brawn gone, the team would no longer be the same. In essence, he wasn't too happy about being involved in something that potentially was going to go downhill with a new regime in charge.

In fact, Stepney had quite a colourful way of expressing his feeling at the time, and his candour was quite surprising.

Then, during the winter, Stepney made his feeling publicly known in an interview with Autosport magazine, much to Ferrari's displeasure.

House Search at Casa Stepney

By the time Formula One arrived at Melbourne for the opening race of the season, there was no sign of Stepney, whose new factory role was head of team performance development.

This followed by rumours that Stepney was contemplating a move to Honda - entirely logical, considering he is a Briton who presumably always fancied moving back home (throughout his Ferrari years, Brawn always maintained a double life, with a house in the UK). With Brawn's name also linked to Honda, it seemed plausible that both men could end up there.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, came the bombshell news that Stepney was under criminal investigation in Italy, following action taken by Ferrari, and that he had 'disappeared' abroad.

All sorts of mixed messages came out in the days that followed. Key among them was talk of a white powder being found in or around the Ferrari F2007 fuel tank before the Monaco Grand Prix, and the suggestion therefore Stepney tried to sabotage the cars.

The police duly raided the Briton's house in Italy, and it was reported that they had taken away a canister, which we could only presume was related to the aforementioned white powder.

Things took a different turn on June 24, when the Sunday Times reported Stepney's view. Journalist Jane Nottage, who knows Stepney well and has written an officially sanctioned book about the inner workings of Ferrari, called him in the Philippines, where he was holidaying with his girlfriend and their child.

"I have confidence that I'll be cleared by the legal process that is now taking place," he told her. "It is just part of a dirty tricks campaign and everything is in the hands of my lawyer, so we'll wait and see what happens.

"I am on a planned holiday with Ash and our baby. Why would anyone say I am not contactable? I booked the flights through the Ferrari travel office. They know where I am."

In a further twist, a Ferrari spokesman told autosport.com at Magny-Cours last weekend that this last statement was not true, and indeed, Stepney was not even on an official leave.

Meanwhile, the rumours continued to fly around, and bits of information come out in dribs and drabs. I've been told that the police officers who visited Casa Nigel didn't just recover that canister, but other items of interest, reportedly including a couple of steering wheels that should not have been there.

Sources have also suggested that Stepney was allegedly seen behaving suspiciously around the cars in the factory at a time when he thought he was alone, and/or that there is incriminating CCTV footage.

In addition to the white powder business, there were also rumours of some form of industrial espionage.

It seemed obvious to assume that any such behaviour might involve a potential future employer such as Honda, but there was a whisper last weekend that McLaren were the recipient.

Sabotaging the cars, helping McLaren by passing on secrets... The story got weirder and weirder. What was Stepney supposedly up to?

The only conclusion a casual observer could make was that some internal strife at Maranello, possibly involving Stepney not being allowed contractually to make his move to Honda, had caused him to extract some sort or revenge.

House Search at Fort Coughlan

However, the story took another serious turn on Tuesday morning when Ferrari revealed that Stepney had been sacked.

And, that afternoon brought the stunning news that McLaren were indeed in the loop a statement from the Woking outfit revealing "senior member of [McLaren's] technical organisation was subject of a Ferrari investigation regarding the receipt of technical information."

McLaren's statement further revealed that this senior staff member " had personally received a package of technical information from a Ferrari employee at the end of April."

McLaren concluded by saying the individual has been suspended by the company, pending a full investigation.

Inevitably there was considerable interest in just who might be involved at Woking, and logic suggested it was someone at McLaren who has worked with Stepney in the past. There was certainly more than one high profile name that fitted that bill.

After that came a statement from Ferrari, which confirmed they have instigated legal proceedings against Stepney and a McLaren employee, in both Italy and England.

It didn't take long for it to emerge that the McLaren man under investigation was chief designer Mike Coughlan.

He worked with Stepney at Benetton and, from 1993 to 1998, at Ferrari - although Coughlan was mostly at John Barnard's Surrey base rather than in Maranello.

On Tuesday, Coughlan's house was visited by the UK police, and apparently Ferrari documents were found there.

Clearly the saga has caused some disruption at Ferrari, but the fact that this affair has now spread to McLaren as well must be big relief to the Maranello team, as some of the negative attention has been diverted.

If, as must now be considered possible, Coughlan does not return to work once the investigation is complete, he will leave a hole in McLaren's staff that has to be filled.

McLaren may have strength in depth, but losing the chief designer in the middle of a title campaign - and just as serious work gets going on the 2008 car - is not exactly ideal.

Inevitably, too, some would also be very happy for the fans to draw the conclusion that McLaren's turnaround in form after Spain was in some way related to the information that was passed on, although clearly there is no evidence that this is the case.

Indeed, it remains unknown if the alleged information was actually used by Coughlan in an attempt to benefit McLaren, or if indeed it was of any value to a team running a completely different car.

The other possibility is that the information pertained to something that Ferrari were doing that was of potential interest to McLaren - advanced wing design and flexing bodywork, for example.

The Gathering Storm

Ferrari interestingly made a point of ending their statement on Tuesday by saying the team "reserve the right to consider all implications, be they criminal, civil or of any other nature, according to the applicable laws." (emphasis added)

The last time Ferrari made a similar threat was in 2003, after the FIA found the tread width of Michelin tyres to be outside the legal width - following a protest by Ferrari. Back then, Ferrari also "reserved the right" to challenge race results after the season was over, should they deem it necessary.

Ferrari never pursued legal action in 2003 - the team, after all, won both titles that season - but Maranello's suggestion that some teams may not have won fairly was made very clear.

This time around, McLaren were unequivocal in their Tuesday statement that 'Stepneygate' involves one individual inthe team, and not McLaren.

"Whilst McLaren has no involvement in the matter and condemns such actions, we will fully cooperate with any investigation," the team said, and there is no reason to question this. For all his shortcomings, Ron Dennis's integrity has never been at doubt.

Either way, though, this really is a sorry saga that will overshadow the British team's widely anticipated homecoming Grand Prix at Silverstone this weekend.

It's also unclear how all this affects Ross Brawn and any plans he has to return to Maranello.

The former technical direct is very close to Stepney, but on the other hand he is a Ferrari man to the core, and if there has been any wrongdoing, one presumes he will side with the team.

So now we wait to find out not only what Stepney has to say when he returns to Europe, but also what happens at McLaren.

It remains to be seen what the FIA, too, will do - if at all - in this affair, and what are the legal implications for Stepney, Coughlan, Ferrari and McLaren.

Recently, two former Ferrari employees were found guilty of stealing Ferrari secrets and taking them to Toyota.

And, considering that that affair took four years to reach its court resolution, it's safe to say that 'Stepneygate' has only just begun.

Additional reporting by Biranit Goren

Folks, if these allegations are true, this is HUGE. A resurgent McLaren has Lewis Hamilton leading in the WDC and is leading in the Constructors Championship by a wide margin. I'd hate to see Hamilton's rookie phenom season tarnished by allegations of impropriety by his design team.

bobby · 07-04-2007, 07:22 AM

latest news.....

F1's governing body has apparently accepted McLaren's invitation to launch an investigation into the spy scandal saga involving Nigel Stepney and Mike Coughlan.

The FIA has issued the following statement today:

"With the full cooperation of both teams, the FIA has initiated an investigation into matters involving Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro and Vodaphone McLaren Mercedes.

The remit of this investigation will focus solely on the requirements of the International Sporting Code and the Formula One Regulations."

McLaren had earlier insisted that "no Ferrari intellectual property" had been used for the design of its current MP4-22 single seater, and "invited the FIA to conduct a full review of its cars" to verify this claim.

Ferrari expressed concern that its information seems to have passed illegally from the sacked Stepney to McLaren's now suspended chief designer Coughlan, saying in its own statement that it reserved the right "to consider all implications, be they criminal, civil or of any other nature."

Craven Morehead · 07-04-2007, 08:58 AM

Quote:

McLaren had earlier insisted that "no Ferrari intellectual property" had been used for the design of its current MP4-22 single seater, and "invited the FIA to conduct a full review of its cars" to verify this claim.

I read that earlier today. I'm glad of that.
McLaren could be in dire straits without a chief of design overseeing next year's chassis. With Silverstone coming up this will be a huge story on race weekend.

Keeps getting deeper and deeper. Ferrari vs McLaren in the championship. :woot:

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/motorspo...ticle_continue

Quote:

'Hundreds of drawings' at McLaren man's home

Alan Henry and Tom Kington in Rome
Thursday July 5, 2007

Guardian

The McLaren formula one team moved quickly yesterday in an effort to defuse the row over what sources described as hundreds of drawings relating to this year's Ferrari which were allegedly found in the home of the British team's chief designer, Mike Coughlan.
McLaren attempted to reassure Ferrari that they had not used any of the data in the development of their MP4-22 challenger. The team, who lead the world championship through Lewis Hamilton, for whom this is an unwelcome distraction going into his home grand prix at Silverstone on Sunday, have also volunteered to submit their MP4-22 car to full scrutiny by motor racing's governing body, the FIA, to prove they have not incorporated any Ferrari designs.

"McLaren has completed a thorough investigation and can confirm that no Ferrari intellectual property has been passed to any other members of the team or incorporated into its cars," the Woking-based team said.

"McLaren has in the meanwhile openly disclosed these matters to the FIA and Ferrari and sought to satisfy any concerns that have arisen from this matter. In order to address some of the speculation McLaren has invited the FIA to conduct a full review of its cars to satisfy itself that the team has not benefited from any intellectual property of another competitor."

A source close to Max Mosley, the FIA president, praised the promptness with which McLaren had reacted to the situation. "McLaren have done the right thing," he said. Another insider added: "It may well be that McLaren will be vindicated in this and the whole business be put down to a couple of renegades."

The FIA emphasised that it had begun an investigation, which will focus exclusively on the requirements of formula one's regulations, leaving legal aspects aside. There is no precedent for the ruling body to act in such a matter. However, it could in theory suspend any team for infringing the requirement of owning its own intellectual property rights, or for bringing the sport into disrepute.

That is unlikely, though. Formula one's chief, Bernie Ecclestone, said taking constructors' points from McLaren would be an option if the team were found guilty of breaching regulations but he does not envisage Hamilton losing points or being thrown out. "I don't see that ... There is no way it would affect the driver. It is nothing to do with the driver," he said.

The Ferrari engineer Nigel Stepney, who is alleged to have supplied the data to Coughlan and who was sacked on Tuesday, is due back in Italy after a holiday and will meet his lawyer today. He may face criminal charges for industrial espionage after Ferrari said they had reported him to a Modena magistrate for allegedly handing over confidential documents to Coughlan and for an earlier incident in which he was suspected of sabotaging the Ferraris' fuel tanks with powder. Stepney has protested his innocence and says he will be totally absolved if he comes to trial. Coughlan, who was suspended from his job yesterday, was not available for comment.

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007

Craven Morehead · 07-06-2007, 09:33 AM

Quote:

07/06/07 Honda dragged into F1 spy saga (GMM) A third team is being dragged into the Ferrari-McLaren espionage affair -- Honda.

The German specialist publication Auto Motor und Sport now reports that, in addition to McLaren, disgruntled Ferrari veteran Nigel Stepney had also offered classified team data to his colleagues at the Japanese team, but they turned him down.

It is additionally rumoured in the Silverstone paddock that both he and McLaren's suspended chief designer Mike Coughlan intended to defect to Brackley based Honda, and that the Nick Fry-led outfit intend to clarify their position with an official statement later on Friday.

Auto Motor und Sport says the sacked Stepney and Coughlan were trying to pool information and also proposing to bring a group of engineers to Honda, who were targeted as a struggling but well-funded operation that could offer high profile and highly paid jobs.

It is also suggested that McLaren's managing director Jonathan Neale tried to prevent the affair from exploding by asking Coughlan to destroy the stolen Ferrari information before it had been copied or used or fully analysed.

If true, there's a least a motive established for this.

powerclown · 07-06-2007, 10:20 AM

So Stepney did have the motive of going to Honda....strange how people are gravitating to Honda from Ferrari and McLaren, instead of vice-versa. Do we know what area of the car the leaked technical specs address? With all these defections and accusations of information leaks, it wouldn't surprise me to see Honda back at the front sooner than later. Honda have made superb engines for both F1 and IndyCar...wasn't it one of Honda's engineers who oversaw the engine resurgence at Ferrari in the mid-90s?

Craven Morehead · 07-08-2007, 11:24 AM

Will Stepney tell all?

Quote:

Stepney threatens to reveal 'bodies' (GMM) Already accused of espionage and sabotage, sacked formula one veteran Nigel Stepney has now threatened to reveal more hidden secrets about the Ferrari team.

Through his lawyer, the Briton had already indicated that he may sue his former employers for unfair dismissal, and in newspapers on Sunday he repeated his claim of total innocence.

Stepney has now fled Italy again, speaking to the Sunday Times from a Mediterranean hideaway because he said he had been harassed by unidentified Italian figures.

"I've been framed," he said, before issuing a warning to his former bosses.

Stepney said: "I've been with Ferrari for 14 years and there's been a lot of controversy over the years, and I obviously know where the bodies are buried."

Ferrari did not immediately comment.

powerclown · 07-08-2007, 07:22 PM

"Fled Italy", LOL
I picture the tifosi chasing him through the streets like the running of the bulls in Spain.
...would love to hear some juicy F1 secrets.

Craven Morehead · 09-13-2007, 10:11 AM

This story kind of died but then new evidence appeared over the past week. The original ruling was no harm, no foul. But over the past week or so, the FIA became aware that McLaren was in receipt of a 780 page document on how Ferrari was able to get the Bridgestone tires to last longer. Along with technical drawings from Ferrari that McLaren used as a basis of plans submitted to the FIA. The resulting penalties handed down today by the FIA are:

McLaren have been stripped of their points in the 2007 Formula One constructors championship after the outcome of the 'spygate' row. The team was also fined $100m (£49.2m) and will have to subject its 2008 cars to examination before racing, but the drivers retain their points this year.

Ouch!

bobby · 09-13-2007, 11:19 AM

wow...........will get right on this.....xoxoxoo

06-22-2007, 09:10 PM	#2 (permalink)
Jetée The Reforms Location: Rarely, if ever, here or there, but always in transition	Only to be little skeptical and promote a healthy discussion, what is your take on the article? The original poster is supposed to set the stage for the oncoming responses from fellow members. So, what is it that you find interesting, if not outrageous, about this article? __________________ As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves. —Mohandas K. Gandhi

06-23-2007, 07:24 AM	#3 (permalink)
bobby Super Moderator Location: 18,000+ posts on TFP #1,2,3,4 and 5,but I'm not counting!	seriously,your reply....or maybe conspiracies are alive and well?...xoxoxoo __________________ "Life goes on,within you,and...with out you !" xoxoxoo

06-23-2007, 08:00 AM	#5 (permalink)
bobby Super Moderator Location: 18,000+ posts on TFP #1,2,3,4 and 5,but I'm not counting!	several mechanics have been convited lately of stealing "secret" info and passing it on to other teams...will look it up...xoxoxoo __________________ "Life goes on,within you,and...with out you !" xoxoxoo

06-23-2007, 10:00 AM	#8 (permalink)
powerclown Junkie Location: Detroit, MI	Right CM, Ferrari have always needed forceful personalities in the team to keep them from descending into this kind of drama and internal chaos. In the 70s it was Niki Lauda. One man alone revived and kept Ferrari together for the last 10 years, Michael Schumacher (and some of the top engineers, to a lesser extent). They now have 2 under-performing drivers, and Stepney is apparently unhappy with the new politics at Ferrari, post-Schumacher. I'd like to see Alonso at Ferrari somehow, but in the meantime Raikkonen needs to wake up, drive like he is capable of driving and start winning races. Winning is the only thing that keeps Ferrari in line. Last edited by powerclown; 06-23-2007 at 11:22 AM..

06-23-2007, 12:16 PM	#9 (permalink)
bobby Super Moderator Location: 18,000+ posts on TFP #1,2,3,4 and 5,but I'm not counting!	tepney's lawyer denies sabotage ''It doesn't seem credible to me'' 23/06/07 17:21 the other side of the story?.....xoxoxoo Zoom Accusations and denials at Ferrari The lawyer of Englishman Nigel Stepney, the former Ferrari Technical Manager accused of sabotaging the Italian team ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, dismissed the accusation against his client on Saturday. Ferrari on Friday announced that they had requested prosecutors in Modena to open an enquiry into Stepney, who is facing a criminal investigation following an official complaint filed by the team last month. "The only thing I can say is that Stepney has been placed under investigation but the charge is at present very hazy and uncertain," lawyer Luca Brezigar told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "From what I've heard there are a number of legal definitions such as aggravated damage or sporting fraud, but I would exclude sabotage," he added. According to sources, traces of a mysterious powder were discovered on the fuel tanks of the cars of Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen and Brazilian Felipe Massa on May 21 at the Maranello factory, six days before the Monaco Grand Prix. Brezigar, who was appointed by the court, said that he has had "no contact" with his client, adding that the whereabouts of Stepney were unknown although he ruled out that the Englishman has fled. "I'm convinced that he is on holidays. It doesn't seem credible to me that a professional of his calibre could damage his own team," added Brezigar, whose client's home at Serramazzoni, 40km outside Modena, was searched on Friday. Stepney, who remains a Ferrari employee, had requested at the end of 2006 to cease traveling to the Grand Prix circuits and had been given a factory-based position in Maranello relating to development and performance. __________________ "Life goes on,within you,and...with out you !" xoxoxoo

06-23-2007, 07:36 AM	#4 (permalink)
Craven Morehead Custom User Title	F1 is always full of drama. This year Ferrari is supposedly off its game, although the teams does have three wins in seven races. 7 time WDC Michael Schumacher retired at the end of last year and Technical Director Ross Brawn is on a one year sabbatical plus several other organizational changes in the off season. All eyes have been on the team to see if they have slipped up. There have been hints of industrial espionage between teams before this and as the article calls it 'shenanigans', but never an internal sabotage. At least to my memory. Ferrari fans are rabid, especially Italian Ferrari fans. Stepney should be fearing for his life about now, I'm half serious about that but he will feel their wrath. As I said F1 is full of drama. This adds to that and will be a major side-story as the season plays out. Its news worthy is you follow F1. I'm not sure if the story in itself is worthy of debate but there are a few F1 fans here at TFP and F1 coverage in the US is slight at best so I thought I'd throw it on TFP to inform the other fans. Discuss if you wish.

06-23-2007, 08:33 AM	#6 (permalink)
Shauk Confused Adult Location: Spokane, WA	well it's kinda funny to me that thier evidence is merely "white powder" that could be... anything.... the only real motive I see here is ferrari being butthurt about the publicity from someone who's given thier company his life, if anything I'd say ferrari could be setting him up. White powder does not sit as solid evidence with me, and unless they have video footage of him screwing up cars on purpose, i'm gonna have to let my natural distrust of corporations leave me unmoved in favor of neither one.

06-24-2007, 05:41 PM	#10 (permalink)
powerclown Junkie Location: Detroit, MI	I can't see a guy with Nigel Stepney's experience and success trying something as petty as sabotaging one of his cars....even on the way out of Ferrari. I'd be more inclined to think it was someone within Ferrari looking to blame someone for Ferrari's recent poor results.

06-25-2007, 12:41 PM	#11 (permalink)
desal75 Psycho Location: Western New York	Weren't some Toyota team members convicted of bringing secrets over from Ferrari a couple of years ago? The whole thing strikes me as odd. I can't see a major team doing something like this without some hint of truth but at the same time I can't see a man of Stepney's expertise doing something along these lines. we'll have to see how it plays out. __________________ The Man in Black fled across the desert and the Gunslinger followed.

07-04-2007, 07:22 AM	#14 (permalink)
bobby Super Moderator Location: 18,000+ posts on TFP #1,2,3,4 and 5,but I'm not counting!	latest news..... F1's governing body has apparently accepted McLaren's invitation to launch an investigation into the spy scandal saga involving Nigel Stepney and Mike Coughlan. The FIA has issued the following statement today: "With the full cooperation of both teams, the FIA has initiated an investigation into matters involving Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro and Vodaphone McLaren Mercedes. The remit of this investigation will focus solely on the requirements of the International Sporting Code and the Formula One Regulations." McLaren had earlier insisted that "no Ferrari intellectual property" had been used for the design of its current MP4-22 single seater, and "invited the FIA to conduct a full review of its cars" to verify this claim. Ferrari expressed concern that its information seems to have passed illegally from the sacked Stepney to McLaren's now suspended chief designer Coughlan, saying in its own statement that it reserved the right "to consider all implications, be they criminal, civil or of any other nature." __________________ "Life goes on,within you,and...with out you !" xoxoxoo

07-06-2007, 10:20 AM	#17 (permalink)
powerclown Junkie Location: Detroit, MI	So Stepney did have the motive of going to Honda....strange how people are gravitating to Honda from Ferrari and McLaren, instead of vice-versa. Do we know what area of the car the leaked technical specs address? With all these defections and accusations of information leaks, it wouldn't surprise me to see Honda back at the front sooner than later. Honda have made superb engines for both F1 and IndyCar...wasn't it one of Honda's engineers who oversaw the engine resurgence at Ferrari in the mid-90s? Last edited by powerclown; 07-06-2007 at 04:27 PM..

07-08-2007, 07:22 PM	#19 (permalink)
powerclown Junkie Location: Detroit, MI	"Fled Italy", LOL I picture the tifosi chasing him through the streets like the running of the bulls in Spain. ...would love to hear some juicy F1 secrets.

09-13-2007, 10:11 AM	#20 (permalink)
Craven Morehead Custom User Title	This story kind of died but then new evidence appeared over the past week. The original ruling was no harm, no foul. But over the past week or so, the FIA became aware that McLaren was in receipt of a 780 page document on how Ferrari was able to get the Bridgestone tires to last longer. Along with technical drawings from Ferrari that McLaren used as a basis of plans submitted to the FIA. The resulting penalties handed down today by the FIA are: McLaren have been stripped of their points in the 2007 Formula One constructors championship after the outcome of the 'spygate' row. The team was also fined $100m (£49.2m) and will have to subject its 2008 cars to examination before racing, but the drivers retain their points this year. Ouch!

09-13-2007, 11:19 AM	#21 (permalink)
bobby Super Moderator Location: 18,000+ posts on TFP #1,2,3,4 and 5,but I'm not counting!	wow...........will get right on this.....xoxoxoo __________________ "Life goes on,within you,and...with out you !" xoxoxoo