McLaren excluded from F1 Championship for spying... - Perth-WRX.com

muggz · #1 14-09-2007, 11:01 AM

Well Ferrari are the provisional Constructors championships after McLaren was excluded for stealing technical data from the Fezza.. sad day in motorsport.

Formula 1 - McLaren excluded form Constructors championship

Statement from Ron Dennis (team principal - McLaren)

Quote:

Full statement from Ron Dennis:

"The most important thing is that we will be going motor racing this weekend, the rest of the season and every season. This means that our drivers can continue to compete for the World Championship. However having been at the hearing today I do not accept that we deserved to be penalised in this way.

"Today's evidence given to the FIA by our drivers, engineers and staff clearly demonstrated that we did not use any leaked information to gain a competitive advantage.

"Much has been made in the press and at the hearing today of emails and text messages to and from our drivers. The World Motorsport Council received statements from Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Pedro de la Rosa stating categorically that no Ferrari information had been used by McLaren and that they had not passed any confidential data to the team.

"The entire engineering team in excess of 140 people provided statements to the FIA affirming that they had never received or used the Ferrari information.

"We have never denied that the information from Ferrari was in the personal possession of one of our employees at his home. The issue is: was this information used by McLaren? This is not the case and has not been proven today.

"We are also continually asked if McLaren didn't use the information, what was the reason for Stepney and Coughlan collecting all this data about Ferrari? We can only speculate as neither Coughlan nor Stepney gave evidence at today's hearing, but we do know that they were both seeking employment with other teams, as already confirmed by both Honda and Toyota.

"There will be no issue for the 2008 season as we have not at any stage used any intellectual property of any other team.

"We have got the best drivers and the best car and we intend to win the World Championship."

....and from Ferrari:

Quote:

Ferrari said they were happy that the “truth had emerged” following Thursday’s decision by the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council to strip McLaren of constructors’ point and heavily fine them for possessing confidential data belonging to the Italian team.

“Ferrari acknowledges the decision of the FIA to sanction Vodafone McLaren Mercedes for its breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code,” said a Ferrari statement.

“In light of new evidence, facts and behaviour of an extremely serious nature and grossly prejudicial to the interest of the sport have been further demonstrated.

“Ferrari is satisfied that the truth has now emerged.”