Ferrari and McLaren Lay Spygate to Rest
By Emma Aitken
July 12 2008
With a statement issued from McLaren reiterating their apology to Ferrari and a statement issued from Ferrari accepting that apology the Spygate scandal from last season is finally, it would appear, at an end. Ferrari are still continuing their legal case in Italy of Nigel Stepney who started the whole affair in the first place.
July 12 2008
With a statement issued from McLaren reiterating their apology to Ferrari and a statement issued from Ferrari accepting that apology the Spygate scandal from last season is finally, it would appear, at an end. Ferrari are still continuing their legal case in Italy of Nigel Stepney who started the whole affair in the first place.
Long time rivals Ferrari and McLaren have finally drawn a line under the ‘Spygate’ scandal that rocked Formula 1 last season.
Around trips to the circuit there were trips to the courtroom last year after McLaren’s chief designer at that time; Mike Coughlan was found to be in possession of confidential Ferrari documents.
As a result, after two separate World Motor Sport Council hearings McLaren were stripped of its 2007 constructors’ championship points and had to pay a hefty $100 million fine.
McLaren apologised to both the governing body and to Ferrari for being unaware of how far the information attained from the Scuderia had spread within their personnel and offered to freeze development on parts for their 2008 car.
McLaren announced in a statement on Friday that the two teams had agreed to settle their remaining disputes and that it would pay Ferrari’s legal fees, finally bringing the whole affair to a close.
“In light of the formal closure in December 2007 of the FIA and FIA World Motor Sport Council proceedings against McLaren, and of McLaren’s public apology to Ferrari which we have reiterated, Ferrari and McLaren have agreed to bring the various disputes between them in relation to this matter to a final conclusion.
“McLaren has also agreed to the reimbursement of Ferrari’s costs and expenses relating to these matters and a concluding payment.”
Ferrari, in turn, issued its own statement in which it accepted McLaren’s apology once again and agreed to put the matter behind them (note from author – how gracious of them!).
“Ferrari acknowledges McLaren’s reiterated apology for the well known events which occurred during the 2007 F1 championship and, in the best interests of Formula 1 and taking into account the formal closure in December 2007 of the FIA and FIA World Motor Sport Council proceedings against McLaren, it confirms that it has accepted to put an end to all outstanding controversies between the two teams.
“Ferrari will donate to charity the concluding payment received from McLaren” the statement read.
The statement added that the Italian legal case against Nigel Stepney, Ferrari’s former chief mechanic who is alleged to have passed the documents to Coughlan is still ongoing.
So, all’s well that ends well. McLaren and Ferrari are all buddies again; they can all start meeting up for coffee and a catch up during race weekends. Oh yes, and Jenson Button is going to win the Driver’s Championship title this season!
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