Print

Mail

wiki links

Renault found guilty of spying but not penalized

Renault were not penalized on Thursday despite being found guilty of having confidential information about Formula One rivals McLaren.

Renault could have been handed a penalty similar to the US$100 million fine imposed on McLaren in September for using confidential data from Ferrari.

In the latest allegations in F1's spy scandal, team officials were summoned by the World Motor Sport Council to face accusations that Renault had unauthorized access to details on McLaren's cars.

In a statement on its Web site, the sport's governing body said it "found Renault F1 to be in breach of article 151c of the International Sporting Code but imposed no penalty."

Renault team boss Flavio Briatore welcomed the decision with relief.

"I would like to thank Renault, our title sponsor ING and all our partners for their wholehearted support during this sensitive period," Briatore said in a statement. "I also wish to pay tribute to the team, which has handled the matter with integrity and dignity. We are pleased that we can now focus fully on our preparations for the 2008 championship."

McLaren claimed that Renault gained an unfair advantage last season from information about its fueling system, gear assembly, oil cooling system, hydraulic control system and suspension component.

Phil Mackereth, a former McLaren engineer, was alleged to have taken several CDs of data with him to Renault after he joined the team in September last year.

But the case was further muddied on Wednesday when McLaren admitted to misinforming journalists over the scale of the allegations against Mackereth and Renault.

The FIA forced McLaren to acknowledge that there were just 18 technical drawings of its cars on the 11 computer disks it said Mackereth had, not 780 outlining the entire blueprint as it had previously leaked to the press.

Thursday's decision could make it easier for Fernando Alonso to return to Renault after quitting McLaren in the offseason. The Spanish driver won the F1 world title with Renault in 2005 and last year.

Renault has said it suspended Mackereth in September as soon as it had learned of his actions and then alerted McLaren and the FIA.

Renault said the information it had covered only four "basic systems," one of which was obsolete, and denied it influenced the design of its racing car in any way.

McLaren's punishment was much more severe. As well as the record fine, it was also kicked out of the manufacturers' championship, although Alonso and teammate Lewis Hamilton were not docked points.

Hamilton finished second and Alonso third in the championship.

Renault finished third and British newspapers had speculated that the company could have pulled out of F1 if it had been hit with a harsh penalty.
This story has been viewed 1063 times.