Formula 1 News

FIA promises to investigate new Renault espionage case 

Renault has so far cooperated fully with McLaren and the FIA regarding a possible new case of spying in Formula One. At the height of the scandal involving Ferrari’s Nigel Stepney, for which McLaren was fined $100m and kicked out of the constructors’ title, rumours emerged that the Woking- based team was in possession of evidence that implicated Renault of a separate offence.

Defecting engineer Phil Mackereth is understood to have taken with him to Renault three disks of detailed information about McLaren’s cooling and electronic systems. Team boss Flavio Briatore confirmed in Belgium at the weekend that he provided information about the issue both to F1′s governing body and McLaren, but a FIA spokesman revealed that the French team was not yet being investigated formally. Max Mosley said the information he has been presented with so far “doesn’t support” the accusation of espionage, but added that he was expecting a more detailed dossier from McLaren soon. “When we get it, we will investigate,” the FIA president told BBC’s Radio 5. He added: “We’ve had a dossier from Renault which doesn’t look particularly damning, but then again, you wouldn’t expect it to. We must wait and see what comes out from McLaren.”

Mosley also said Briatore recently agreed to allow “experts” commissioned by McLaren to look at Renault’s computer systems at the team’s factory. He said of Dennis: “Obviously when he’s got that report, if there’s something significant in it, I have no doubt he will let us have it.”

source: GMM