Ferrari Furious over hearing outcome

Ferrari has responded with anger and disgust to the FIA's decision not to penalise McLaren for possessing leaked data.

At today's extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Paris, McLaren was found guilty of having broken the sporting code when a 780-page dossier of Ferrari information was found at chief designer Mike Coughlan's home - but was not punished because there was no evidence that the team had made use of the data.

This decision has enraged Ferrari, which believes the guilty verdict should have carried a punishment regardless of whether there was evidence that McLaren had benefited from the information.

"Ferrari notes that Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has been found guilty by the FIA World Council," said a Ferrari statement.

"It therefore finds it incomprehensible that violating the fundamental principle of sporting honesty does not have, as a logical and inevitable consequence, the application of a sanction."

The FIA's original summons to McLaren referred only to the team having "unauthorised possession of documents and confidential information belonging to Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, including information that could be used to design, engineer, build, check, test, develop and/or run a 2007 Ferrari Formula 1 car."

Ferrari vehemently rejected McLaren's defence that the case related only to a rogue individual rather than the team as a whole.

It claimed that the FIA verdict undermined Formula 1.

"Today's decision legitimises dishonest behaviour in Formula 1 and sets a very serious precedent," the statement continued.

"In fact, the decision of the World Council signifies that possession, knowledge at the very highest level and use of highly confidential information acquired in an illicit manner and the acquiring of confidential information over the course of several months, represent violations that do not carry any punishment.

"The fact that Vodafone McLaren Mercedes was in possession of such information was discovered totally by accident and, but for this, the team would continue to have it.

"This is all the more serious as it has occurred in a sport like Formula 1 in which small details make all the difference.

"Ferrari feels this is highly prejudicial to the credibility of the sport."

The team did not make any comment about whether it would appeal against the FIA's decision, but it will continue to pursue the cases it has brought against Coughlan and its former engineer Nigel Stepney, who is the alleged source of the leak.

"It will continue with the legal action already under way within the Italian criminal justice system and in the civil court in England," Ferrari's statement concluded.

Source: ITV.com/F1

I see your point, illegal possesion of another teams documents should be punishable, but it seems insufficient evidence couldn't do it.

But Everyone at McLaren will be watching everyone becuase if anything like this is to happen again McLaren faces expulsion from not only the rest of this year but also next year.

I think that the possession of the documents alone should have enough for a punishment. Even if they didn't use the data, they still broke the rules.TannerRules

Agree, McLaren can use the car design anytime...

So this time mclaren got away with murder.....wheres all the "FIA are helping mclaren win the title" talk? Because if this had of been ferrari, you could bet your sweet @ss that every f1 board on the planet would be flooded with ferrari/fia cheat accusations.

.....and yes, before you argue that its about time mclaren got a break after all the "ferrari cheating" over the years, it still doesnt make it right.

8)

As much as I am pleased that McLaren haven't been punished, as it was only Coughlan acting alone, I did find this:

Article 3.1 of the 2007 FIA F1 Sporting Regulations states: "It is the competitor's responsibility to ensure that all persons concernedby his entry observe all the requirements of the [Concorde] Agreement, the [International Sporting] Code, the Technical Regulations and the Sporting Regulations".

In other words, Coughlan's actions are to be taken as a whole for the entire team. So whilst I wish to say Ferrari should stop whining, I can't, because on a technicality they have every right to be upset by the decision. Then again, you have to look into the facts a lot deeper: they were guilty of possession of the data (which, ok, I expected at least a fine on that count), but they have no evidence at all of any implementation of McLaren using this information towards their own car. Ron Dennis even invited the FIA to strip down a McLaren MP4-22, that's how confident he was that there was no Ferrari influences within the design of it.

So really, it is a split - yes, Coughlan had possession of the documents, but you can't punish what's not proven. But Ferrari do have a point.

So really, it is a split - yes, Coughlan had possession of the documents, but you can't punish what's not proven. But Ferrari do have a point.

Redders1989

That makes absolutely no sense.....you confirmed that coughlan had possession of the documents, so how is that NOT proven? Having possesion alone is enough to punish them

Also from autosport:

The FIA World Motor Sport Council has found McLaren guilty of possession of unauthorised Ferrari documents, but with no evidence that the team had made use of the information, the governing body elected not to punish McLaren for now.Autosport

So the team was found GUILTY of breaching the sporting regulations, but wasn't punished.....complete bulls*** if you ask me. If teams are allowed to breach the regs and not be handed a penalty, then alonso's right this isnt a sport anymore

[QUOTE="Redders1989"]

So really, it is a split - yes, Coughlan had possession of the documents, but you can't punish what's not proven. But Ferrari do have a point.

kalais91

That makes absolutely no sense.....you confirmed that coughlan had possession of the documents, so how is that NOT proven? Having possesion alone is enough to punish them

Also from autosport:

The FIA World Motor Sport Council has found McLaren guilty of possession of unauthorised Ferrari documents, but with no evidence that the team had made use of the information, the governing body elected not to punish McLaren for now.Autosport

So the team was found GUILTY of breaching the sporting regulations, but wasn't punished.....complete bulls*** if you ask me. If teams are allowed to breach the regs and not be handed a penalty, then alonso's right this isnt a sport anymore

Well think back to 1994.. both the Bennetons and McLarens were found to have traction control software in their cars, which was against the rules as traction control had been banned for that season. This 'should' have resulted both teams being kicked out of the World Championship if you play to the rules completely, however, the FIA could not prove that it had been used, or if so, for how long. Both teams escaped punishment, saving Michael Schumacher's first world championship title. Some sites suggest that there was photographic evidence of Benneton using traction control in the French Grand Prix, but I can't confirm this at all.