F1 hit by fresh scandal

10:37am Friday 9th November 2007

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FORMULA One has become embroiled in its second spying scandal of the year after Renault were charged with possessing confidential information belonging to McLaren.

It is a remarkably similar accusation to the one McLaren faced in the season which has just finished and resulted in a record fine and expulsion from the constructors' championship.

Allegations about Renault emerged in September as McLaren sought to defend themselves against their charge of having technical information belonging to Ferrari.

Motorsport's governing body, the FIA, have now summoned Renault representatives to Monaco for a hearing in front of the World Motor Sport Council on December 6 to answer a charge.

An FIA statement said that between September 2006 and October this year the Renault F1 team had unauthorised possession of documents and confidential information belonging to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes''.

This included, but was not limited to, the layout and critical dimensions of the McLaren F1 car, together with details of the McLaren fuelling system, gear assembly, oil cooling system, hydraulic control system and a novel suspension component used by the 2006 and 2007 McLaren F1 cars''.

The team were dragged into the McLaren spying affair when it was alleged a former member of staff at the British-based marque had taken several CDs worth of data to Renault.

McLaren's lawyers brought the matter to the attention of the FIA on the eve of their own hearing in September, which prompted the investigation by the sport's governing body.

FIA president Max Mosley said at the time the accusations against Renault revolved around an employee who had left McLaren to join Renault and taken the information with him.

A Renault spokesman said: Ever since the matter was brought to our attention, we have acted with complete transparency towards McLaren and the FIA and we will continue to do so.'' Less than three months ago McLaren were fined £47.5m and thrown out of the manufacturers' championship after being found guilty of a similar charge to the one now levelled at Renault.

McLaren are remaining silent on the latest controversy to hit Formula One.

Purely by coincidence, McLaren yesterday confirmed the FIA visited their Woking headquarters as part of the investigation into the original spying affair.

Reports claimed FIA officials undertook a thorough examination of the state-of-the-art premises, including the team's 2008 car, and took with them data for further analysis.

The inspection was ordered as part of the World Motor Sport Council's punishment in September.