Formula One team McLaren chiefs quizzed in 'spy' row
LONDON (AFP) — Senior figures at McLaren have been interviewed by Italian investigators a part of Formula One's ongoing spying scandal, the Britain-based team announced Thursday.
Last year McLaren were fined 50 million pounds and stripped of all their points in the 2007 Formula One constructors' championship by motorsport governing body the FIA after they were found guilty of being in possession of 'leaked' technical information from Italian rivals Ferrari.
That was after a 780-page Ferrari dossier was discovered at the home of McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan.
Although the FIA investigation into the incident appears to have come to a conclusion, separate legal inquiries are still in progress.
Nigel Stepney, sacked as Ferrari's head of performance development and alleged to have passed the information on to Coughlan, was last week questioned on the matter by Modena prosecutor Giuseppe Tibis.
It is understood McLaren team principal Ron Dennis and chief executive Martin Whitmarsh were among those quizzed at their homes.
A statement released by McLaren, whose headquarters are in Woking, Surrey, south-west of London, read: "McLaren Racing has today (Thursday) 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."
