The infamous 'spy gate' that began during the 2007 season is now one step closer to being closed for good, with a court hearing in Modena, Italy, dropping charges against the McLaren employees. The employees involved being McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan and senior employees Paddy Lowe, Jonathan Neale and Rob Taylor.
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Apparently Ferrari suspects that Nigel has stolen data and parts of the car and sold them to other teams. Some sites claim that the file to police contains request to investigate this.
And the italian La Gazzetta dello Sport magazine says that they have found more traces of the "mystery powder" on Nigels work overalls and the fueling equipment.
Also, perhaps related to this, some Ferrari engineers quit their job during Canada, which caused more fuss on their end.
Formula 1, 57, died Thursday, Sept. 13, 2007
Born May 13, 1950, in Silverstone, United Kingdom
Will be held in the hearts of millions forever
Rest In Peace, we will not forget you
First of all, Tom, you must be joking that you not joking! If they using this powder (talcum) on regular bases on fuel tank, why they are so surprised to find it on that place?
I’m Ferrari fan, and I know that in past they made a lot of surprising thinks that I don’t like (Austria 2002 for example), but that is, I think, normal. Fans of all teams are sooner or later surprised by some thinks what they favorite team do. But, I think that this is too much to think Ferrari doing this because they have a bad year, they want to get rid of Step, and so on. Two years a go, they are in terrible position for Ferrari standards, and they are all like one. No accusations, no politics, nothing. Like good family. Todt is still there, and he created this family. If you remember, time before Schumacher join the team, situation in team was good without any dirty things like that, and situation on racing track was really bad. So, I don’t se reason why this year should be different. By the way, is not very bed situation, they win three races, poll positions and podiums. Is not ideal situation, but is not hopeless.
White powder was found in the petrol tank area of the Ferrari race cars six days before the Monaco Grand Prix last month, and they change tanks next day, no FIA, no steward are involved, so there is nothing to do with bad results in Monaco. But this information is not official information from Ferrari. Nobody knows the source of this information.
There is a lot better ways to get rid of Step. Why accuse him of sabotaging. If they want to prevent him to go to another team next year, I’m sure there is a non-engagement agreement in his contract that prevent him to do so. All high positioned technical stuff in F1 has something like this included in contract. I am working for one relatively small company in off shore business, and I have this included. If I want to resign, I can’t work in any other company which is in same business for 18 months (why 18, I don’t know). I don’t think Ferrari can gain anything from this situation, especially from throwing the mud on Step face. I can’t see any reason to do that. OK, he is not happy, so what. He complains, so what. He, actually, didn’t sad anything bad about Ferrari. He was complaining about his position in Ferrari. What McLaren have to do with Alonso then. He was complaining about whole team, and support he has in team. I can’t se any sense in all that.
Smuggling drugs, nonsense!!!!!!!!!
What I think is that he made some wrong step according to his contract. Maybe he signed already with some other team, or something like this. Maybe is industrial espionage, hard to believe, but possible. Remember, he was complaining, maybe he wants revenge. Who knows what they find in his apartment. Maybe some paperwork with suuuperr secret front non flapping wings or new supeeer secret design of driver water bottle (with some white powder as add inside). But, you see, to much MAYBIES!
Well, by all accounts Ross Brawn is going to return to the team as principal, so from Ferrari's perspective one would hope that this kind of political silliness will be minimised - and those responsible will find themselves looking for alternate employment. From a political point of view, it would be wise for those responsible to sort their differences with Nigel and sweep this under the carpet quietly. I would imagine that Ross would seek to give Nigel a better role at Ferrari when he is there, if his confidence in Ferrari is not beyond repair.
It seems as though Brawn has looked at other opportunities at other teams, and all they'd want to do is stick him on the pitwall and he'd be faced with another long hard slog - certainly at a place like Honda. He's made it clear he doesn't want to do that and wants to move upstairs.
Ross as team head is the only answer really, otherwise Ferrari are descending into a political mess again.
First of all, Tom, you must be joking that you not joking! If they using this powder (talcum) on regular bases on fuel tank, why they are so surprised to find it on that place?
Well thats the thing, Ferrari have never mentioned white powder, neither have the police, only some shitty tabloid reffered to white powder that their reporter saw in the garage and assumed it must be something bad. As it happens this newspaper is Italian so immediatly they're not going to blame Ferrari, but whats this? Stepney being diciplined by the team, hmm, a journalists dream.
Its certainly possible, likely even that Nigel is approaching other teams with a view to leaving the scuderia. Its possible that he might have mentioned a project that Ferrari are undertaking in an effort to boost his chances in his new job, but to thing he might have sabotaged the cars, with no worthy motive, its just ludicris.
Murphy's 9th Law of Technology:
Tell a man there are 300 million stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch to be sure.
ITV commentators in their pre-race build up confirmed that any reports of white powder false (hate to say i told you so ) and that the reported sabotage was at the Ferrari factory to a fuel rig.
See, F1 is just Chinese whispers.
Murphy's 9th Law of Technology:
Tell a man there are 300 million stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch to be sure.
This is what I think happened: The investigation against Stepney finally got results and they now have the right to fire him as he gave information to an employee of McLaren...
Principessa wrote:This is what I think happened: The investigation against Stepney finally got results and they now have the right to fire him as he gave information to an employee of McLaren...
But what about the white powder?
Well, perhaps he gave information to an employee of McLaren how to get white powder and sell it at triple price to celebrities in Monaco
manchild wrote:Well, perhaps he gave information to an employee of McLaren how to get white powder and sell it at triple price to celebrities in Monaco
Mike Coughlan's apartment was searched. Some secret Ferrari info files (provided by Stepney) found...
reading. McLaren haven't yet released a name, only a disclaimer that the team as such wasn't involved and doesn't approve. Ferrari have indicted a McLaren employee in an Italian court, it seems. A lot of stuff seems to be pointing at certain directions, but as long as those are just speculations I won't comment. Perhaps I won't comment when all is clear, either. What's certain is that whatever has happened, it's undeniable.
Because of the publicity, this will be hard on the persons involved. I'm sure msgboards, among other media, will suffer from many self evident and pointless notions, name-calling, and such. At least at this point it seems that the persons involved might've known each other on a longstanding personal level. That's if some usually trustworthy media sources have gotten the story right this time. A clouded judgement is no excuse, but it is a fact of life. A human being is not only rational and that is both a good and a bad thing simultaneously.
There's a difference between condemning an action in public opinion and condemning men by it. I hope the first of the forementioned options prevails and I wish the consequences to be proportionate and finite for those involved. The teams and the world of F1 do need to remember that questionable actions do not undo other aspects of a person's life.
And these days, as it has always been, justice systems have more urgent issues with wider ramifications to consider.
pRo wrote:Apparently Ferrari suspects that Nigel has stolen data and parts of the car and sold them to other teams. Some sites claim that the file to police contains request to investigate this.
Seems this was right then.
And apparently it's Mike Coughlan from McLaren. Autosport, Gazzetta dello Sport and Bild say so on their websites. He does have a bit of a history with Nigel as they have worked together in Lotus 84-88, Benetton 91 and Ferrari 93.
Formula 1, 57, died Thursday, Sept. 13, 2007
Born May 13, 1950, in Silverstone, United Kingdom
Will be held in the hearts of millions forever
Rest In Peace, we will not forget you
