McLaren employee suspended after Ferrari investigation
Woking based McLaren did not name him, but it is widely reported to be 48-year-old chief designer Mike Coughlan, who has been suspended, "regarding the receipt of technical information" from countryman Stepney.
McLaren, insisting that it will "fully cooperate" with Ferrari's own investigation and that of Italian police, said: "The team has learnt that this individual had personally received a package of technical information from a Ferrari employee at the end of April."
Mercedes-Benz's Norbert Haug declined to comment, but a spokesman for Ferrari said: "We have proof that Stepney had been supplying technical information to a McLaren employee and we found evidence of that fact in his (Coughlan's) home."
Other publications were unsuccessful in attempting to contact Coughlan and Stepney, who have known each other for seventeen years and worked together at Benetton and latterly at Ferrari's former technical base in Surrey.
Coughlan still lives in Surrey (UK), where police raided his home this week and apparently found incriminating evidence.
A spokesman for F1's governing body, meanwhile, said: "We have received information on this matter, which we are examining."
07/03/07 In a statement issued this evening, the Italian team said: "Ferrari announces it has recently presented a case against Nigel Stepney and an engineer from the Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes team with the Modena Tribunal, concerning the theft of technical information.
"Furthermore, legal action has been instigated in England and a search warrant has been issued concerning the engineer. This produced a positive outcome.
"Ferrari reserves the right to consider all implications, be they criminal, civil or of any other nature, according to the applicable laws."
[Editor's Note: No wonder McLaren has been so fast this year – their personnel stole all of Ferrari's secrets. Recall Toyota personnel doing a similar thing two years ago when the Toyota broke ground looking exactly like a Ferrari. These teams should hang their head in shame and/or be suspended from the sport.]
07/03/07 McLaren became aware on the 3rd July 2007 that a senior member of its technical organization was the subject of a Ferrari investigation regarding the receipt of technical information. The team has learnt that this individual had personally received a package of technical information from a Ferrari employee at the end of April.
Whilst McLaren has no involvement in the matter and condemns such actions it will fully co-operate with any investigation. The individual has in the meanwhile been suspended by the company pending a full and proper investigation of the matter.
No further comment will be made. McLaren statement