Formula 1 News

Jean Todt: Spy saga damaging Formula One 

Ferrari boss Jean Todt accepts that the Formula One spy controversy is damaging Formula One world, but Ferrari’s determination to see the truth emerge means that the affair is unlikely to reach a conclusion any time soon. McLaren face an FIA Motor Sport World Council hearing on Thursday to discuss new evidence concerning the dossier of Ferrari technical information leaked to the British team by ex-Ferrari engineer Nigel Stepney.

But speaking after Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix, Todt confirmed that regardless of the result of the hearing, his team will continue their legal proceedings against McLaren in Italy and Britain. “For us it is something which is too important and we will move forward in Italy and we will move on with the civil case in the UK as well,” said the Frenchman. “With the FIA, I’m not going to comment on what the decisions will be because I don’t know what the decisions will be.”

Todt is certainly expecting a different conclusion from that of the original hearing in July where McLaren escaped unsanctioned. But he refused to outline what he feels would be an appropriate punishment. “It’s not a menu, where you go ‘would you prefer number one or number two?’ I mean, the FIA and the World Council will have to decide with the evidence that they have in hand,” he added. “Our duty is to provide as much evidence as possible for the World Council to understand exactly what has happened. We didn’t accept the July decision because we found proof the decision was not appropriate. And then if you see the wording of the decision – in case of new evidence, things will be different. We will be able to produce new evidence,” Todt declared. “It’s a taint on the sport. I think that we are sorry that it is happening in Formula One, but we are in the position where we want the truth to appear. And that’s all that we want, and all that we have been working on and doing, and we are confident that the truth will come through,” the Ferrari boss concluded.

It now appears that courtroom success represents Ferrari’s only hope of rescuing either championship.

source: AFP