McLaren has raised questions about the rival Renault team with Formula 1’s governing body, it emerged on Tuesday, as its own fate hangs in the balance ahead of Thursday’s FIA World Motor Sport Council hearing into the espionage case. ITV.com
The hypothesis swirling around the Formula One fraternity is that McLaren’s opening gambit at Thursday’s Paris spy hearing will be to implicate other teams.
In a pre-emptive strike, Renault team principal Flavio Briatore told the Italian media that there was no problem with his team, despite the rumour that they were about to be dragged into the affair. FoxSports.com
It is understood that McLaren’s information about Renault and Ferrari is technical in nature, rather than relating specifically to the spy scandal.
“We can confirm that McLaren lawyers have recently brought to our attention certain matters regarding Renault F1,” the FIA spokesman said.
“But we can also confirm that the (Renault) team does not form any part of our investigations into McLaren’s alleged breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code.” DueMotori.com
This unwelcome distraction comes ahead of Thursday’s meeting in Paris where the world motor sport council will again examine whether McLaren illegally incorporated design features from the current Ferrari F2007 into their MP4-22 challenger which has won seven of the season’s 13 races so far. There are suggestions that McLaren, if found guilty, could be disqualified from the 2007 and 2008 world championships, penalised with a multi-million dollar fine or deducted constructors’ championship points. The Guardian
| 
|