Analysis: the remarkable Stepneygate saga

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McLaren won't appeal WMSC verdict

By Jonathan Noble Friday, September 21st 2007, 14:19 GMT


McLaren have decided not to appeal against the punishment they were handed for their involvement in Formula One's spying controversy.

The Woking-based team were excluded from this year's constructors' championship and handed a $100 million (USD) fine in the wake of chief designer Mike Coughlan being found with secret Ferrari documents in his possession.

After deliberating whether or not to appeal the verdict this week, with a deadline of 5pm CET today to notify the FIA of their plans, the team have decided against a challenge in the best interests of the sport.

They hope that the matter can now be put behind them as they focus on helping Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso win the drivers' championship.

Team boss Ron Dennis said: "We believe the time has come to put this huge distraction behind us. McLaren wants to win races and world championships.

"We are fortunate to have, and continue to receive, unwavering support from our employees, sponsor partners and Formula One fans across the world - all of whom are equally keen that we totally focus on winning this year's drivers' championship and the remaining three races of the season."

In a statement issued by the team on Friday, it said: "McLaren Racing has notified the FIA of its intention not to appeal the verdict of the World Motor Sport Council, as announced on 13th September 2007.

"Having now had time to study the judgement of the World Motor Sport Council with its lawyers and shareholders, McLaren thinks it is in the best interests of the sport, and its goal of winning races and world championships, not to appeal."

Although McLaren accept that Coughlan's possession of the documents was a breach of the F1 rules, the team still insists that no information was shared with other engineers at the team. It is also adamant that it gained no on-track benefit from the information.

The statement added: "It is clear from the full judgement that the World Motor Sport Council concluded that the charge that a McLaren employee had 'unauthorised possession of documents and confidential information' was proven.

"Despite the existence of no evidence that the information was applied, tested or shared with the engineering team (which it was not), this possession constitutes a breach of the Code.

"To our regret and embarrassment, the content of the previously unknown emails demonstrated possession not being limited to a single person, albeit unsanctioned in any way by the team. For this breach of Article 151c, a very heavy penalty has been imposed on the team.

"The major principle of the issue for McLaren is: this information was not used to gain advantage on its cars.

"Moving forwards, and in consultation with our shareholders, we will now review and further strengthen our internal compliance structures and processes."

McLaren's decision not to appeal means that Ferrari have now won the constructors' world championship.

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Mercedes reaffirms its commitment

By Jonathan Noble Tuesday, September 18th 2007, 12:19 GMT


Mercedes-Benz has insisted that it is totally committed to Formula One and its partnership with McLaren, despite the controversy over the spy affair.

Although McLaren have lost all of their constructors' championship points for this year and been fined $100 million (USD), their engine partner Mercedes-Benz has made it clear that the matter will have no dent on its devotion to the sport.

Mercedes-Benz motorsport boss Norbert Haug was quoted as saying by The Guardian on Tuesday that his company was not entertaining any change of plan in the wake of recent events.

When asked whether Mercedes-Benz stood by F1 as it did before the verdict, Haug said: "Of course we do. This is not up for discussion. We also stand by our partner McLaren. And we refrain from putting the blame on anybody."

Then speaking about whether or not there were any worries about a possible withdrawal by Mercedes-Benz, Haug said: "No worries at all. And I don't make out the image problems we are supposed to have. On the contrary, we get a lot of support and encouragement from outside."

Haug's comments come in the wake of a statement issued by Mercedes-Benz last week, in which it made clear that it wholly supported McLaren's stance that it had not used any of the Ferrari information that is at the centre of the case.

It also pointed out that the FIA had not accepted invitations from McLaren to inspect their car to prove the team's innocence.

The statement, issued on Friday, said: "Our partner McLaren stated absolutely clearly that our Formula One car does not incorporate any third-party concepts or ideas from design drawings created outside the team. The same applies to speculation concerning knowledge of other teams' race strategies, the distribution of weight in F1 cars, etc.

"Mr. Coughlan, the team member involved and suspended since the allegations emerged on 3 July, confirmed in a statutory declaration that at no point in time did he pass on any of the material to McLaren, which he received privately from a member of the team which currently ranks immediately behind us.

"Our partner McLaren repeatedly suggested to FIA that our F1 car should be examined and checked against the competitor's documents; however, FIA has not made use of this offer to this day.

"No evidence of any culpable action has been submitted or made known to McLaren to date, and McLaren states that the team has not been involved in any culpable action whatsoever."

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McLaren bosses to face spying questions

By Jonathan Noble Thursday, February 7th 2008, 12:47 GMT


McLaren boss Ron Dennis and F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh are among four senior personnel from the Woking-based team who have been invited by Italian magistrates to answer questions over last year's spy affair, autosport.com has learned.

Although the FIA has drawn a line under the matter following a public apology from McLaren about their possession of Ferrari intellectual property in 2007, the legal actions underway in Britain and Italy are ongoing.

As part of those investigations, the Modena magistrate in charge of the investigation, Giuseppe Tibis, has been questioning individuals involved in the case. Last year he invited Fernando Alonso and Pedro de la Rosa over the matter.

Now, he has informed McLaren's lawyers in Italy that he wants to speak to Dennis, Whitmarsh, chief designer Mike Coughlan and engineering director Paddy Lowe about the matter. They have all been asked to meet him from February 18.

Former Ferrari mechanic Nigel Stepney, who supplied information about his former team to Coughlan, has also been asked to appear.

McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale and senior design team leader Rob Taylor are also likely to be invited, but Italian magistrates have deferred their questioning because they do not have their home addresses, so cannot officially inform them that they are required.

McLaren have not officially commented on this latest development.

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Stepney to face FIA as Coughlan punished

By Jonathan Noble and Michele Lostia Thursday, February 14th 2008, 11:19 GMT


Former Ferrari mechanic Nigel Stepney is to meet the FIA soon to explain his role in last year's F1 spy scandal before any punishment is handed down, with a sanction already believed to have been imposed on McLaren's suspended chief designer Mike Coughlan.

Sources have revealed that Stepney could face up to a two-year ban from international motor racing for his part in the exchange of information between Ferrari and McLaren last year.

Autosport.com understands that Coughlan has already been punished by the FIA following an apology to the governing body and Ferrari, although there are no details on what sanction he has been given.

The FIA has made it clear that it has no comment on the matter at this stage.

Stepney had been due to meet the FIA's legal department last week but the meeting was postponed because of unforeseen circumstances. A new meeting will be rescheduled for the near future.

Despite the FIA's unwillingness to comment officially on its plans, president Max Mosley wrote a letter to Italian publication Autosprint this week explaining that it was important Stepney and Coughlan had the chance to defend themselves.

This was in response to an open letter published in the magazine a fortnight ago asking why Stepney had not been questioned by the FIA and why he was not banned from FIA sanctioned events.

In the letter Mosley wrote: "No one can be sentenced without having first had the opportunity of defending himself. This is a fundamental legal principle."

He added: "You are wrong in saying that his guilt is an unquestionable fact before he's had the opportunity to defend himself. In condemning someone without giving him the chance to be heard, you deny the justice that is the right of everyone, whatever their responsibilities."

It is understood that in the wake of the spy scandal, the FIA is considering implementing a licencing system, similar to that used for drivers, for all personnel in F1. This would allow them to withdraw licences from - and effectively ban - people who breach FIA regulations.

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Stepney 'calm' after meeting magistrate

 Monday, February 18th 2008, 17:34 GMT


Former Ferrari mechanic Nigel Stepney told reporters he was "very calm" after being interviewed on Monday by an Italian magistrate probing last year's Formula One spying scandal.

The Briton, sacked by Ferrari, is accused of supplying technical information about the Italian team to McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan, who is now suspended.

McLaren were stripped of their 2007 constructors' points and fined $100 million in September by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) but legal probes into the controversy continue, with Modena prosecutor Giuseppe Tibis weighing up the evidence.

Tibis said Stepney had been "collaborative and thorough".

Stepney's lawyer Sonia Bartolini said her client did have contact with Coughlan but had denied passing on the information. She told reporters other people have not been investigated enough in the affair.

World champions Ferrari have also accused Stepney of attempted sabotage after a mysterious white powder was allegedly found around the fuel caps of their cars before the Monaco Grand Prix in May last year.

McLaren bosses, including team principal Ron Dennis, were also due to meet with Tibis on Monday but their appearance has been postponed to another date.

Tibis has already interviewed McLaren's former driver Fernando Alonso, the double world champion who left for Renault in December, and Spanish test driver Pedro de la Rosa.

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Stepney disappointed with Coughlan's take

By Michele Lostia and Pablo Elizalde Tuesday, February 19th 2008, 10:35 GMT


Nigel Stepney is waiting for Mike Coughlan to explain his position in the spy scandal, after insisting on Monday that he had not handed any Ferrari data to McLaren's suspended chief designer.

Stepney was interviewed on Monday by an Italian magistrate probing last year's spying scandal, and the former Ferrari mechanic said he had nothing to hide.

His lawyer Sonia Bartolini said Stepney had again denied having given any Ferrari information to Coughlan.

"When questioned my client rejected the accusation of having given Coughlan the 780-page dossier with Ferrari projects to give to McLaren," Bartolini was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.

"There were always contacts between them, but there never was a hand-over of written documents.

"It's true that Nigel met Coughlan in Barcelona last spring to organize a move to Honda. They scribbled some drawings, that's it. In fact Nigel struggled to identify those 780 pages because he never had them at his disposal. Maybe all that material got stolen, but that has nothing to do with Stepney.

"This is why he's disappointed with Coughlan and his contradicting statements, while Stepney's statements to the magistrate are consistent with those given to the FIA."

Gazzetta reports that there is a possibility Coughlan and Stepney will be interrogated at the same time, face-to-face.

"At the moment, the interrogation of Stepney is more than enough," Magistrate Giuseppe Tibis said. "He collaborated by answering every question. As for the other people under investigation, it will be up to them to decide whether to show up or not.

"I've already invited them, maybe I'll see some of them in March."

Bartolini added: "The confrontation is fine, Stepney has nothing to hide. If anyone, it's Coughlan the one who has to make his position clear: from Great Britain we understand that he's never been removed from McLaren. We count on getting hold of documentation that testifies Stepney's good will."

Tibis was was to question leading McLaren figures, including team boss Ron Dennis and F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh, on Monday but the meeting was put back.

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McLaren staff questioned in spy affair

By Jonathan Noble Wednesday, February 27th 2008, 17:48 GMT


McLaren personnel were questioned in Britain today as part of the continuing Italian investigation into last year's spy scandal, the team confirmed this evening.

With legal processes ongoing despite the FIA having drawn a line under the matter, four leading McLaren staff members including team principal Ron Dennis and F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh were last month invited to Italy to answer questions about their involvement in the case.

That meeting was postponed, but McLaren revealed tonight that Italian investigators instead had travelled to Britain to visit staff members at their homes and the McLaren factory.

A statement issued by McLaren said: "McLaren Racing has today continued its co-operation with enquiries instigated by the Modena Magistrate.

"The Surrey Police accompanied Italian investigators to the homes of a number of McLaren executives as part of their ongoing investigation. A similar process has been performed at the McLaren Technology Centre.

"The police are completely satisfied with the co-operation they have received. These actions are part of a normal judicial process in connection with the ongoing investigation, and are supported by McLaren Racing."

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McLaren evidence useful, say police

By Mark Meadows Thursday, February 28th 2008, 18:53 GMT


Useful evidence connected to Formula One's spy scandal has been collected from McLaren which shows where responsibilities lie, Italian police said on Thursday.

McLaren executives were questioned by Italian investigators in Britain on Wednesday as part of a legal probe into the team obtaining Ferrari technical information last year.

Material taken from the team "will fit into the ample picture of evidence" from which "clearly emerges the responsibilities of the management and some technicians at a high level in McLaren", a police statement said.

Giuseppe Tibis, a prosecutor in Ferrari's home province of Modena, launched the legal investigation which led to Wednesday's events.

Police said they went to McLaren Technology Centre and the homes of McLaren team principal Ron Dennis, chief executive Martin Whitmarsh, engineering director Paddy Lowe and senior employees Jonathan Neale and Rob Taylor.

McLaren said on Wednesday the police "were completely satisfied with the co-operation they have received".

The team suspended chief designer Mike Coughlan in July after a dossier of Ferrari technical information was found at his home in England.

Ferrari, who won both titles last season after McLaren were fined a record $100 million (USD) and stripped of all their constructors' points, have accused their now-dismissed engineer Nigel Stepney of sending him the material.

Tibis has already interviewed McLaren's former driver Fernando Alonso, the double world champion who left for Renault in December, and Spanish test driver Pedro de la Rosa.

Stepney, who is also accused of sabotage by Ferrari but denies the charge, met the prosecutor in Italy last week.

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McLaren deny Italian police claims

By Pablo Elizalde Friday, February 29th 2008, 14:51 GMT


The McLaren team have slammed as "grossly inaccurate and misleading" claims from the Italian police that they had found evidence that showed the responsibility of certain members of the team in the spying affair.

Top McLaren executives were questioned by Italian magistrates on Wednesday as part of a legal investigation into Formula One's spying scandal.

The police said in a statement that they had found evidence from which "clearly emerges the responsibilities of the management and some technicians at a high level in McLaren."

McLaren said on Friday, however, that the statement was misleading, as the Italian police were yet to have access to the material taken from the McLaren Technology Centre and the homes of the top executives.

"McLaren Racing wishes to record its extreme displeasure with the wording of a statement that the Italian Police are reported to have made yesterday," said McLaren in a statement.

"If those reports accurately reflect the police statement, the statement is grossly inaccurate and misleading.

"The reports incorrectly claim that the searches produced material which clearly shows the responsibility of certain people at McLaren Racing.

"In fact, the Italian police have not yet even been given access to any of the material taken, nor have they even started to review that material. We would be extremely surprised if the review of the documentation reveals anything which has not already been disclosed as a result of the extensive investigations already carried out.

"McLaren Racing believes that due process needs to be respected and that the conduct of an investigation process should not be construed adversely or used for publicity purposes.

"It should be noted that none of the extensive searches or investigations completed to date have produced any evidence that the Ferrari documents which Mr Nigel Stepney handed over to Mr Michael Coughlan were ever passed to anyone else at McLaren Racing or used on the McLaren Formula One car.

"McLaren Racing will continue to co-operate with Surrey Police regarding any further searches and enquiries they are required to undertake. McLaren Racing wishes to thank Surrey Police for the helpful and courteous manner in which they have undertaken the process."

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McLaren to involve Home Office in spy row

By Pablo Elizalde Friday, February 29th 2008, 15:27 GMT


McLaren plan to contact Britain's Home Office over their concerns about the way the Italian police is handling the latest developments in Formula One's spying affair.

McLaren issued a statement on Friday denying claims in an Italian police statement that there was evidence showing the responsibility of certain members of the British squad in the spying row.

The team claimed the statement from the Modena police was "grossly inaccurate and misleading".

A McLaren spokesperson has revealed the team plan to contact Home Office, the British government department dealing with law and order, to inform them about their concerns on how the Italian police are treating the affair.

"In the light of this type of publicity, which has apparently been generated by the Modena police, perhaps people can now understand our caution in engaging in such a process with them," said the spokesperson.

"Indeed, we intend to contact the Home Office to convey our concerns regarding the conduct of the entire matter."

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Dennis has full support, says Whitmarsh

By Jonathan Noble Thursday, February 28th 2008, 17:11 GMT


McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh says there is no question that Ron Dennis has the full support of all his company's shareholders, and has rubbished suggestions there is pressure on Dennis to stand down.

There has been rife speculation this week that Dennis could be forced to relinquish his role as team principal in the wake of last year's spy scandal and the impact it had on the Woking-based outfit.

Those rumours intensified in the wake of the visit by Italian investigators to the homes of leading McLaren executives, including Dennis, on Wednesday.

But Whitmarsh has made it clear that Dennis maintains the full support of the team and their partners. He says that any talk Dennis could be forced to move aside is wide of the mark, and any decision to change roles in the future will be Dennis's entirely.

"The rumours are unfounded - for a number of reasons," Whitmarsh told autosport.com.

"First, the visits were merely part of ongoing enquiries by the Italian authorities, who used the Surrey Police as intermediaries. As such, they weren't really very surprising, or therefore very stressful.

"Second, and most important, people who suggest that Ron may be forced to step down don't understand the corporate structure of the McLaren Group.

"Ron is fully supported by all our shareholders, all our management, and all who work for our team and our company. He currently has three roles: Chairman, McLaren Group; Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Group; Team Principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.

"It therefore follows that it is for Ron to decide when and if he should step down, step away, step back, or whatever."

When asked if Dennis would attend the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Whitmarsh replied: "Yes."

Whitmarsh also emphasised that McLaren were happy to co-operate with the Italian investigators, who were accompanied by members of the Surrey Police.

"The visits were part of ongoing enquiries by the Italian authorities, who used the Surrey Police as intermediaries," he explained. "The policemen involved were efficient and courteous, and went about their business with minimal fuss.

"We welcomed and co-operated fully with their enquiries, and the police professed themselves entirely happy with the co-operation they received from us."

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Italian police statement misunderstood

By Jonathan Noble and Michele Lostia Saturday, March 1st 2008, 13:11 GMT


The Italian police never made the claims that led McLaren to consider involving Britain's Home Office in Formula One's spying affair, autosport.com has learned.

Reports on Thursday suggested the Italian police have stated that evidence obtained in searches at McLaren this week prove senior team personnel were involved in industrial espionage against Ferrari.

Subsequently, McLaren on Friday heavily criticised these allegations, saying the Italian police couldn't have reached such a conclusion given that they did not yet examine the material seized in the searches.

A team spokesperson also added that "In the light of this type of publicity, which has apparently been generated by the Modena police ... we intend to contact the Home Office to convey our concerns regarding the conduct of the entire matter."

However, it appears this latest controversy is down to a misunderstanding of the Italian police's statement.

In fact, the statement - made by Italy's Postal and Communications Police - clearly says that the evidence obtained in the McLaren searches will be examined by the Surrey Police along with Italian investigators in the next few days.

The statement does claim, though, that information already obtained by Italian investigators throughout this investigation - that is, prior to the searches at McLaren - have already given clear indication of McLaren's responsibilities in this case.

The statement says: "In the following days British detectives, with the collaboration of Postal and Communications Police investigators, will complete the inquest activities requested by the Italian Magistrate and will begin analysing the documents and the digital material mentioned above, with the aim of finding possible traces of the crimes concerned in the investigation.

"Such findings will be added to vast circumstantial and factual evidence already collected in the criminal investigation coordinated by the Modena Attorney, which shows clearly the responsibility of the management and some technicians at a high level in McLaren for the occurrence of 'industrial espionage' against team Ferrari, as well as for the matter of having taken advantage - both from a business and sporting level - of the data and information regarding both the design of the car that contested in the 2007 Formula One World Championship, and the race and qualifying strategies of the Italian team."

The statement details that 50 Surrey police detectives were involved in the searches on Wednesday - which took place at the McLaren factory and at the homes of team principal Ron Dennis, F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh, managing director Jonathan Neale, design team leader Rob Taylor and engineering director Paddy Lowe.

The information obtained included new testimonies on the use of email and telephone systems at McLaren, seized paper documents, electronic appliances and the copies of email systems.

Surrey Police have declined to give any further details on the information obtained in the searches or when the results of their searches will be handed over to Italian investigators.

A spokeswoman told autosport.com: "Surrey Police officers have conducted searches of McLaren headquarters in Woking and have searched the homes of five people in the investigations by Italian police in connection with allegations of industrial espionage in Formula One racing. Three of the five live in Surrey, the other two in Oxfordshire and Berkshire.

"Surrey police officers are acting on a letter of request from the Italian authorities approved by the Home Office. The Surrey officers at the McLaren headquarters were accompanied by the senior investigating officers for the Italian police, Detective Chief Superintendent Dr Tommaso Niglio. Other Italian officers were in Surrey to advise and observe.

"The case is being overseen by the public prosecutor of Modena, Giuseppe Tibis. And the deputy chief of divisional investigation Sergio Mariotti.

"Due to ongoing investigations we will not be commenting further at this time."

Tibis himself emphasized today that his office would not have asked for the searches in the UK had there not been good reasons for it.

"If nothing is found then it's all good for McLaren," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "But if we have done the searches, it's because we had good reasons to do so."

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Dennis ready to step aside

By Jonathan Noble    Monday, March 3rd 2008, 10:50 GMT

Ron Dennis and Martin WhitmarshRon Dennis is likely to hand over the role of McLaren team principal to F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh before the end of this month, autosport.com has learned, but has not yet decided exactly when he will do so.

There has been mounting speculation about Dennis' future in recent weeks, with the 60-year-old believed to be increasingly keen to focus more on family matters and other aspects of the McLaren Group business than just the F1 team.

Dennis is also understood to believe that his departure as team principal will help relieve tension remaining at the team in the wake of last year's spy scandal, which left the team stripped of their constructors' championship points and fined $100 million (USD).

Sources have made it clear, however, that although Dennis is planning to change his role within McLaren, he has not yet settled on exactly when that will be.

It could be within a matter of days, or may not happen until after the season, which kicks off in Melbourne on March 16, has begun. However, a decision on the exact handover is expected to take place later this month.

Last week, Whitmarsh made it clear that Dennis still had the full support of McLaren's shareholders - and that any decision about his future was for him to take alone.

"Ron is fully supported by all our shareholders, all our management, and all who work for our team and our company," Whitmarsh told autosport.com.

"He currently has three roles: Chairman, McLaren Group; Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Group; Team Principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.

"It therefore follows that it is for Ron to decide when and if he should step down, step away, step back, or whatever."

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Italian police calm on McLaren criticism

By Michele Lostia and Jonathan Noble    Monday, March 3rd 2008, 17:37 GMT

The Italian Postal and Communications Police have said they are 'calm' about McLaren's criticisms of a press statement they issued last week.

In the wake of searches of the McLaren factory and the homes of five senior team personnel, the Italian police issued a media release detailing their actions.

They also explained that the information obtained would be added to evidence they had already gathered in which "clearly emerges the responsibilities of the management and some technicians at a high level in McLaren."

That statement drew a stinging response from McLaren, who said the statement was 'grossly inaccurate and misleading' as the Italian police had not had access to the evidence yet.

Furthermore, the team said they would complain to the Home Office about the manner of the Italian police's actions.

However, the full statement from the police suggested that the Italian police statement had been misunderstood by McLaren - as it made clear that the evidence was to be examined by the Surrey Police.

Despite the angry McLaren stance, the Italian Postal Police have said they are not upset by the criticisms - and they have put the matter down to a simple misunderstanding.

Division chief Sergio Mariotti told autosport.com: "I think they (McLaren) misinterpreted what was written in Italian.

"We said that the findings of the activity carried out in England at that time against McLaren and some of their managers, once analysed, would be added to vast circumstantial and factual evidence already consolidated by activities carried out in Italy and abroad in the past.

"By contrast, they understood that what was being acquired at that time in England was itself proof of McLaren's responsibility in the espionage case. I'm sorry they understood or translated wrongly, but we think we wrote fairly well how things stand."

Mariotti added, however, that the Italian police did have good reason to believe that the evidence they were searching for was important for their spy case investigation.

"As made clear by the district attorney in charge of the Italian investigation, Dr (Giuseppe) Tibis, if we got to the point of a rogatory (request) all the way to England, it means that we had some elements of proof or at least some evidence.

"Otherwise, I don't think a magistrate could obtain an international rogatory (request) based on unclear elements.

"And on top of that, there was also the FIA verdict, which expressed itself in a certain way against them, and those facts have already been acquired. So there were good reasons to go to England with a rogatory.

"Therefore I'm sorry there was a misunderstanding, but we are calm about it."

When asked when he expected the Italian police to examine the new evidence, Mariotti said: "The activity is yet to start, so we'll talk about the beginning of the analysis in the following days.

"So some time will go by before getting some results, because there is rather a lot of digital material."

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McLaren terminate Coughlan's contract

By Jonathan Noble    Friday, March 14th 2008, 02:11 GMT

Mike Coughlan, the designer at the centre of last year's Formula One spy scandal, has finally had his contract with McLaren terminated, autosport.com can reveal.

Coughlan had been suspended from his role as chief designer at the Woking-based team ever since Ferrari documents were found at his house last July.

Although McLaren were eventually thrown out of the constructors' championship and fined $100 million (USD) in the wake of that Ferrari information passing into the team, Coughlan was kept suspended throughout the affair.

It is understood that Coughlan could not be sacked by McLaren because of legal issues.

However, senior McLaren sources have confirmed to autosport.com that Coughlan is now no longer part of the outfit and his contract with McLaren has been terminated.

Coughlan recently met with the FIA to explain his role in the affair and, after apologising to the governing body and Ferrari, it is understood he has been banned from international motor racing until July 2009.