Espionage at Ferrari and McLaren

[FLC]

I would just like to add that Ferrari isn't really saying anything about this matter. Pressing criminal charges is a public matter, so we all know about it, but we dont have any details on the matter, except for some rumors, so it's not like they are on the run to make Stepney a dead horse.

I'm very sorry to hear about your personal experience, Carlos, but it doesn't make things right. It is not an excuse. You said yourself where that unit ended, and as a Ferrari fan, I sure hope they are smart enough to take the other route, which whoever you worked for failed to do so.

[manchild]

If you wanna race out you've got to take it out - Cocaine
If your Schuey is gone and you wanna win on - Cocaine

Cars don't like, cars don't like, cars don't like - Cocaine



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnn1dDVmZyQ

[modbaraban]

[Tom]

Until I see a video of Jean Todd or another well known Ferrari figure actually telling us that this is all true I just can't believe it, I've read a few reports on this now from various newspapers, mainly tabloids, and no two are even similar. Somewhere someone in the Ferrari team has done something wrong and is either deliberatly trying to ruin the team from the inside as well as Nigel's career or are trying to cover up using Nigel.

[modbaraban]

Somewhere someone in the Ferrari team has done something wrong and is either deliberatly trying to ruin the team from the inside as well as Nigel's career or are trying to cover up using Nigel.

watch this!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C6bVckO_CM

[Tom]

Didn't XTC sponsor Simtec back in '94?

[Tifoso]

Somewhere someone in the Ferrari team has done something wrong and is either deliberatly trying to ruin the team from the inside as well as Nigel's career or are trying to cover up using Nigel.

Or what about Nigel being the "man of the plot" rather than a mear victim?

As you stated on your post, lets wait until Ferrari tells us something more. Anyway, I've read in another forum that the police has found a "suspicious white powder" from in his house and are now analycing it and comparing it to the one apparently found in the cars.

[Tom]

But this is the thing see,

lets wait until Ferrari tells us something more.

...and you continue to say...

I've read in another forum...

so now someone is going to put on another forum, or post a report somewhere stating that police have found white powder in Nigel's flat which matches that of the stuff found in the Ferrari's fuel tank and is suspected of being concealed in a condom.
Its chinese whispers.

[modbaraban]

Or what about Nigel being the "man of the plot" rather than a mear victim?

Absolutely!



(inspired by manchild)

[manchild]

I get the joke but I think it is unfair to condemn the man before the trial is over. I was making fun of Ferrari in general but as other people said I suspect this guy might be a scape goat for some business unknown to us.

I simply can't imagine that any team would leave car without security personnel and that a single team member no matter who he is could mess with car all alone. I'm sure they have security cameras inside of factory and in the garages.

If they've gone up in public with it than they should have backed it up with an evidence instead of treating him as a convicted person without trial taking place.

Another thing... Why would anyone use powder and hide it in his own apartment when pouring some water would cause problems too? (water heavier than gasoline, would end up on tanks bottom and get sucked by pump before gasoline).

I really see no logic in powder theory unless it was really smuggled cocaine which means that there was no intention to sabotage the car from whoever did it. Why keep some of it in your own apartment? Was a powder found in his apartment or is that also another rumor?

[modbaraban]

manchild became serious in this thread... all of a sudden

relax, I never meant to condamn anyone... I just wanted to have some fun while waiting for some better info instead of making predictions and presumptions

I really see no logic in powder theory unless it was really smuggled cocaine which means that there was no intention to sabotage the car from whoever did it. Why keep some of it in your own apartment? Was a powder found in his apartment or is that also another rumor?

LOGIC???
Smuggling drugs... lol it's completely insane idea... I mean, with such risk taken, there should have been at least a couple of kilos in the tanks, not grams for *** sake!

[Tifoso]

Now I understand why Michael did this!

[manchild]

Who says there wasn't few kilos from which only small bit spilled? I think there was a case of F1 smuggling back in the 80s or so. Mechanics don't make that much money that smugging half kilo or few kilos wouldn't be tempting. I remember reading an article about Ferrari team salaries back in the late 90s when common mechanics were making only 5000 DM (German Marks) per month.

From The Sunday Times
June 24, 2007
Stepney hits back at Ferrari
The Briton tells The Sunday Times he is innocent after being accused of F1 sabotage
Jane Nottage

NIGEL STEPNEY, the Ferrari engineer accused of sabotage by the Italian Formula One team, broke his silence last night to claim that he is the victim of a “dirty tricks campaign”.

A criminal investigation has been launched in Italy over claims that a white powder was found in the petrol tank area of the Ferrari race cars six days before the Monaco Grand Prix last month. Late on Friday, police raided Stepney’s house near Ferrari’s home base at Maranello, northern Italy, and left holding a small container.

The 47-year-old Briton, who played a key role in the team that helped Michael Schumacher win five consecutive world championships, insisted that he was innocent. “I have confidence I’ll be cleared by the legal process that is now taking place,” he said from the Philippines where he is holidaying with his fiancee Ash and their young child. “It is just part of a dirty tricks campaign and everything is in the hands of my lawyer, so we’ll wait and see what happens.” Ferrari have been in a state of flux since Schumacher retired at the end of last season. After a good start to this year, with wins in Australia, Bahrain and Spain, Felipe Massa, the Brazilian, and the Finn Kimi Raikkonen have slipped behind the McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and world champion Fernando Alonso. Part of Ferrari’s underperformance is being blamed on the sabbatical being taken by Ross Brawn, the team’s inspirational technical director.

It has been suggested that Stepney’s nose was put out of joint by not being offered Brawn’s job and when he made his dissatisfaction public he was given a factory-based role as head of team performance development, for which he earns £750,000 a year. In a recent interview, he said: “I’m not currently happy with the situation within the team — I really want to move forward with my career and that’s something that’s not happening right now.”

Stepney spoke to Honda a few weeks ago about taking a job with the troubled Japanese-backed team.

Last night he laughed off pit-lane rumours that he had “fled” to the Far East. “I’m on a planned holiday with Ash and our baby,” he said. “Why would anyone say I am not contactable? I booked the flights through the Ferrari travel office. They know where I am.”

Ferrari, which was celebrating its 60th anniversary with a party at its late founder Enzo Ferrari’s house yesterday, refused to comment, saying: “Everything is part of the legal process.”

[checkered]

From where I'm

sitting, I see a whole lotta journalists running in circles around ... each other, and practically falling over each other in quoting each other. What's this stuff about sabotage? What's this stuff about a powder?

"Nigel Stepney is still an employee but we have brought an action against him. It is not related to any event, it is related to his behaviour."

- A Ferrari spokesman

That sure doesn't sound like trafficking in illegal substances and/or sabotage to me. It has to be something that couldn't be worked out internally or in any F1 specific framework alone. Whatever it is, I'm disturbed by this already and that doesn't happen very easily. The human element must not get lost, the media attention can inflict disproportionate stress and I wished it would be taken into account before the speculations and the attention get completely out of hand.

But since the proverbial cat is out of the box, I also expect it to be unceremoniously placed on the table too - in time. At the moment there's nothing that prevents anyone to expand what's being said in their imaginations to affect all F1 on the deepest levels. And that's exactly why I categorically refuse to go there at this point.

[Rob W]

"Nigel Stepney is still an employee but we have brought an action against him. It is not related to any event, it is related to his behaviour."

- A Ferrari spokesman

As I said, this sounds like a breach of non-engagement in his employment agreement... They suspect he's spoken to another team or has an agreement with one already for next season - something which might contravene something in his contract.

They could just be enforcing the contract or getting ready to terminate it.

Rob W