Once again, F1 is a complete mess.
Yesterday, we had the announcement of McLaren’s punishment for ‘Spy’ Affair. Whilst a fair few people were disappointed and confused by the decision to not punish the drivers… it was sort of accepted.
However, today, the FIA released it’s full findings. You can get the PDF here.
All I’ll say is that if Alonso wins the WDC this year, he’s got to be one of the least deserving champions of recent history. This kinda thing surpasses Schumacher’s dodgy antics.
Sure, the driver’s were granted immunity if they provided evidence… BUT this is really taking the pi$$. Interesting to see that Hamilton said he had no information. Explaination 1 would be that this is true. Pedro de la Rosa was only supplying info to his fellow Spaniard Alonso. Explaination 2 is that he lied, and he did have evidence. If he now gets caught out, he’ll be in big trouble.
Anyway, some choice snippets from the PDF.
3.1 In the period after the 26 July Decision, the FIA was made aware of a specific allegation that e-mails relevant to the FIA’s investigation had been exchanged between certain McLaren drivers.
3.2 The FIA therefore wrote to three McLaren drivers (Mr. Alonso, Mr. Hamilton and Mr. de la Rosa) to establish whether or not this allegation had any basis in fact and requested that they produce copies of any relevant documents, including any
electronic communications (howsoever conveyed or stored) which may be relevant to this case and which make reference to Ferrari, Ferrari’s employee Nigel Stepney (“Stepney”) or any technical or other information coming from or
connected with either Ferrari or Stepney.
…
…However, the drivers were notified that if it later came to light that they had withheld any potentially relevant information,
serious consequences could follow.
3.4 All three drivers responded. Mr. Hamilton responded that he had no information responsive to the FIA’s request. Mr. Alonso and Mr. de la Rosa both submitted emails to the FIA which the WMSC finds highly relevant. Subsequently (at
McLaren’s request) both Mr. Alonso and Mr. de la Rosa made written statements to the WMSC verifying that these e-mails were sent and received and offering context and explanations regarding the e-mails. The e-mails show unequivocally
that both Mr. Alonso and Mr. de la Rosa received confidential Ferrari information via Coughlan; that both drivers knew that this information was confidential Ferrari information and that both knew that the information was being received by
Coughlan from Stepney.
3.5 On 21 March 2007 at 09.57 Mr. de la Rosa wrote to Coughlan in the following
terms:
“Hi Mike, do you know the Red Car’s Weight Distribution? It would be important for us to know so that we could try it in the simulator. Thanks in advance, Pedro. p.s. I will be in the simulator tomorrow.”
3.7 On 25 March 2007 at 01.43 Mr. de la Rosa sent an e-mail to Fernando Alonso which sets out Ferrari’s weight distribution to two decimal places on each of Ferrari’s two cars as set up for the Australian Grand Prix.
3.12 In the same e-mail exchange of 25 March 2007, Mr. de la Rosa states that tests had been carried out on a flexible rear wing which Mr. de la Rosa says is “a copy of the system we think Ferrari uses”. The Ferrari car’s precise aero balance at 250 kph is also identified. While it is conceivable that the former item could have been copied from observation of the Ferrari car, it is clear from the context of the exchange (it being part of the information that Mr. de la Rosa describes as being
“very reliable” because it comes from Stepney) that the latter item is confidential to Ferrari and that it was passed to Mr. de la Rosa by Coughlan, who got it from Stepney.
3.14 Mr Alonso replied at 12.31 that it is “very important” that McLaren test the gas that Ferrari uses in its tyres as “they have something different from the rest”, and “not only this year. there is something else and this may be the key; let’s hope we can test it during this test, and that we can make it a priority!”.
3.18 On 12 April 2007 at 12.25 Mr. de la Rosa wrote to Mr. Coughlan and asked “ can you explain me as much as you can, Ferrari’s braking system with the [reference to detailed technical information]? Are they adjusting from inside the cockpit…?”
3.19 After a number of exchanges about whether a description would be too complicated to articulate by e-mail, Mr. Coughlan replies on 14 April 2007 at 14.40 with a technical description which purports to be a description of the
principles underpinning the Ferrari braking system. Ferrari have confirmed that the description given is an accurate (though incomplete) description of the principles of its braking system. Coughlan concludes with a statement that “we
are looking at something similar”. This latter statement strongly suggests that the McLaren system was being worked on from a position of knowledge of the details of the Ferrari system, which, even if the Ferrari system not being directly copied,
must be more advantageous to McLaren than designing a system without such knowledge.
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