Date Set For F1 Spying Row Appeal

Motorsport governing body the FIA has set the date of 13th September to hear the
appeal case over its previous decision not to punish the McLaren F1 team in the
ongoing spying row.

The FIA decided to review the case after Ferrari, backed by a letter from
Italian motorsport authority CSAI, requested that it be allowed to present a
full case over the matter – a scenario that had thus far not happened.

The row erupted after McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan was found in
possession of confidential Ferrari documents.

In initialling reviewing the case, the FIA had ruled that the documents could
not be linked to any competitive advantage gained by McLaren in terms of
improvements to its race car.

FIA president Max Mosley defended the decision to review the case again
saying that ‘the importance of public confidence in the outcome’ meant an appeal
must be heard.

McLaren have reacted with disappointment to the FIA’s decision to look into
the case again, with the team facing a renewed threat of a points deduction or
even a ban from the championship if found guilty.