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Renault faces charges in Formula One spy scandal

Renault mechanics work on Finnish driver Heikki Kovalainen's car at the Interlagos race track in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Oct. 17. Representatives of the French team have been summoned to a hearing of the World Motor Sport Council to answer a charge of unauthorized possession of confidential McLaren information. PHOTO: AP

Formula One's spying scandal took a new twist on Thursday when Renault was accused by the sport's governing body of possessing confidential information belonging to rival team McLaren.

The FIA, the governing body for motor racing events, summoned Renault officials to a hearing of the World Motor Sport Council in Monte Carlo, Monaco, on Dec. 6 to answer a charge of having "unauthorized possession of documents and confidential information" of McLaren cars between September last year and last month.

The information includes "but [is] not limited to the layout and critical dimensions of the McLaren F1 car, together with details of the McLaren fueling system, gear assembly, oil cooling system, hydraulic control system and a novel suspension component used by the 2006 and 2007 McLaren F1 cars," the FIA statement said.

Renault finished third in the manufacturers' championship with 51 points, 153 points behind winner Ferrari.

Heikki Kovalainen finished seventh in the drivers' standings with 30 points, followed by teammate Giancarlo Fisichella with 21.

Ferrari champion Kimi Raikkonen finished with 110 points.

A Renault F1 spokeswoman said the company could not "for legal reasons" give detailed comment. The spokeswoman asked that she not be identified by name, citing company policy.

"Ever since this affair was brought to our attention, Renault has always acted in a transparent manner toward McLaren," the spokeswoman said.

The McLaren team declined to comment.

The move follows McLaren's involvement in a spy scandal that overshadowed much of the season. McLaren was fined a record US$100 million by the World Motor Sport Council on Sept. 13 after the FIA found the team guilty of using leaked secret data from Ferrari.

The FIA investigation centered on phone records and a trail of e-mail exchanges, which included correspondence between McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa and McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan, and De la Rosa and driver Fernando Alonso.

Renault was dragged into the case when McLaren's own investigations revealed that a former staff member had allegedly taken several CDs worth of data to the Renault team, Autosport Magazine reported on its Web site.

McLaren's lawyers brought that to the attention of the FIA in September. The FIA then began an investigation which culminated in Thursday's charge, the British-based magazine said.
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