‘Hundreds of drawings’ at McLaren man’s home

The McLaren formula one team moved quickly yesterday in an effort to defuse the row over what sources described as hundreds of drawings relating to this year's Ferrari which were allegedly found in the home of the British team's chief designer, Mike Coughlan.

McLaren attempted to reassure Ferrari that they had not used any of the data in the development of their MP4-22 challenger. The team, who lead the world championship through Lewis Hamilton, for whom this is an unwelcome distraction going into his home grand prix at Silverstone on Sunday, have also volunteered to submit their MP4-22 car to full scrutiny by motor racing's governing body, the FIA, to prove they have not incorporated any Ferrari designs. McLaren has completed a thorough investigation and can confirm that no Ferrari intellectual property has been passed to any other members of the team or incorporated into its cars," the Woking-based team said.

"McLaren has in the meanwhile openly disclosed these matters to the FIA and Ferrari and sought to satisfy any concerns that have arisen from this matter. In order to address some of the speculation McLaren has invited the FIA to conduct a full review of its cars to satisfy itself that the team has not benefited from any intellectual property of another competitor."

A source close to Max Mosley, the FIA president, praised the promptness with which McLaren had reacted to the situation. "McLaren have done the right thing," he said. Another insider added: "It may well be that McLaren will be vindicated in this and the whole business be put down to a couple of renegades." More at The Guardian