Ferrari dump Stepney
07-03-2007, 12:16 PM
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Ferrari dump Stepney
Ferrari has been investigating one of its senior members for industrial espionage claiming the cars' fuel tanks were tampered w/ prior to the Monaco GP. Now McLaren has just suspended one of its senior members saying this person received a a package from an employee being investigated by Ferrari for industrial espionage containing Ferrari secrets. 
time
time
07-03-2007, 03:47 PM
#2
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I heard something about this yesterday. time. (but im hoping none of Ferrari's secrets have gotten out)
time. (but im hoping none of Ferrari's secrets have gotten out)
07-03-2007, 06:04 PM
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The Macca employee was none other than Mike Coughlan their chief designer among other titles. The police searched his home in England and found the Ferrari material which is linked to Stepney. Bottom line this has the makings of a HUGE mess.
07-04-2007, 10:52 PM
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http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/38499/ (stuff from above)
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/38510/ (new stuff to the story)
In the latest twist of the “Stepneygate” scandal, McLaren issued a statement claiming that the technical data allegedly leaked by ex-Ferrari engineer Nigel Stepney to one of the silver team’s employees has not found its way into the Woking outfit’s cars.
"Following our statement of July 3 [admitting the involvement of a McLaren employee in the Stepney case], McLaren has completed a thorough investigation and can confirm that no Ferrari intellectual property has been passed to any other members of the team or incorporated into its cars," the statement said, before inviting the FIA to verify the claim.
"McLaren has in the meanwhile openly disclosed these matters to the FIA and Ferrari and sought to satisfy any concerns that have arisen from this matter. In order to address some of the speculation McLaren has invited the FIA to conduct a full review of its cars to satisfy itself that the team has not benefited from any intellectual property of another competitor.
"No further comment will be made."
The FIA responded quickly, confirming the opening of a probing investigation on the matter.
"With the full cooperation of both teams, the FIA has initiated an investigation into matters involving Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro and Vodaphone McLaren Mercedes," the entity stated.
"The remit of this investigation will focus solely on the requirements of the International Sporting Code and the Formula 1 Regulations."
Yesterday, autosport.com had reported that the suspended McLaren employee involved in the Ferrari action against Nigel Stepney is chief designer Mike Coughlan.
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/38510/ (new stuff to the story)
In the latest twist of the “Stepneygate” scandal, McLaren issued a statement claiming that the technical data allegedly leaked by ex-Ferrari engineer Nigel Stepney to one of the silver team’s employees has not found its way into the Woking outfit’s cars.
"Following our statement of July 3 [admitting the involvement of a McLaren employee in the Stepney case], McLaren has completed a thorough investigation and can confirm that no Ferrari intellectual property has been passed to any other members of the team or incorporated into its cars," the statement said, before inviting the FIA to verify the claim.
"McLaren has in the meanwhile openly disclosed these matters to the FIA and Ferrari and sought to satisfy any concerns that have arisen from this matter. In order to address some of the speculation McLaren has invited the FIA to conduct a full review of its cars to satisfy itself that the team has not benefited from any intellectual property of another competitor.
"No further comment will be made."
The FIA responded quickly, confirming the opening of a probing investigation on the matter.
"With the full cooperation of both teams, the FIA has initiated an investigation into matters involving Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro and Vodaphone McLaren Mercedes," the entity stated.
"The remit of this investigation will focus solely on the requirements of the International Sporting Code and the Formula 1 Regulations."
Yesterday, autosport.com had reported that the suspended McLaren employee involved in the Ferrari action against Nigel Stepney is chief designer Mike Coughlan.
07-05-2007, 07:48 AM
#6
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ouch. Well this could get interesting
07-06-2007, 11:52 PM
#7
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More new tidbits from Speed:
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/38550/
Honda has confirmed that team boss Nick Fry met with Nigel Stepney and Mike Coughlan in June to discuss possible job opportunities.
Over the last 24 hours it has become clear that McLaren was not the intended recipient of any knowledge that Stepney was able to hand over to Coughlan, but in fact the pair were working together with the intention of taking a “dream team” technical and management package to Honda. It’s thought that this group would have included other people from the paddock.
It’s believed that Stepney handed Coughlan a package of Ferrari documentation when they met in a Barcelona restaurant on April 28. It was this package that was found when Coughlan’s home was raided earlier this week. This information was presumably to be used to help the Stepney/Coughlan team present a more effective case in their discussions with Honda.
Honda’s statement said that “earlier this year Nigel Stepney, formerly of Scuderia Ferrari, requested a meeting with Nick Fry and brought with him Mike Coughlan of McLaren, with a view to investigating job opportunities within the Honda Racing F1 team. Honda would like to stress that at no point during the meeting was any confidential information offered or received. Nick Fry informed Jean Todt and Ron Dennis of the meeting and has offered to provide any information required by Ferrari and McLaren.”
In fact Dennis and Todt were only informed after the scandal broke, and the three team bosses had a meeting this morning to discuss the situation.
Honda did not say whether prior to this week’s scandal breaking Stepney and Coughlan were still in line for a possible future with the team.
However, any chances of that happening must have already been reduced after June 21 when news that Stepney was under investigation in relation to a question of sabotage at Ferrari.
AND
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/38558/
Excerpt (see link ^^ for all of it)
The Stepneygate saga continues to roll on, and today we had confirmation that Nigel Stepney and Mike Coughlan had teamed up to try and help Honda create a “dream team,” and met with Nick Fry to discuss their options. This in essence vindicates McLaren and confirms that the team had not benefited from any knowledge that Coughlan had gained. Shortly before Honda officially came out and declared itself as the third party involved Ron Dennis gave us some fascinating extra insights into the situation. And it’s far from over yet. The focus has moved from McLaren to Honda and Fry, and the question of how far those discussions got. There’s also the matter of who else the duo intended to bring with them. This story has a long way to go yet…
This keeps getting more crazy daily,........
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/38550/
Honda has confirmed that team boss Nick Fry met with Nigel Stepney and Mike Coughlan in June to discuss possible job opportunities.
Over the last 24 hours it has become clear that McLaren was not the intended recipient of any knowledge that Stepney was able to hand over to Coughlan, but in fact the pair were working together with the intention of taking a “dream team” technical and management package to Honda. It’s thought that this group would have included other people from the paddock.
It’s believed that Stepney handed Coughlan a package of Ferrari documentation when they met in a Barcelona restaurant on April 28. It was this package that was found when Coughlan’s home was raided earlier this week. This information was presumably to be used to help the Stepney/Coughlan team present a more effective case in their discussions with Honda.
Honda’s statement said that “earlier this year Nigel Stepney, formerly of Scuderia Ferrari, requested a meeting with Nick Fry and brought with him Mike Coughlan of McLaren, with a view to investigating job opportunities within the Honda Racing F1 team. Honda would like to stress that at no point during the meeting was any confidential information offered or received. Nick Fry informed Jean Todt and Ron Dennis of the meeting and has offered to provide any information required by Ferrari and McLaren.”
In fact Dennis and Todt were only informed after the scandal broke, and the three team bosses had a meeting this morning to discuss the situation.
Honda did not say whether prior to this week’s scandal breaking Stepney and Coughlan were still in line for a possible future with the team.
However, any chances of that happening must have already been reduced after June 21 when news that Stepney was under investigation in relation to a question of sabotage at Ferrari.
AND
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/38558/
Excerpt (see link ^^ for all of it)
The Stepneygate saga continues to roll on, and today we had confirmation that Nigel Stepney and Mike Coughlan had teamed up to try and help Honda create a “dream team,” and met with Nick Fry to discuss their options. This in essence vindicates McLaren and confirms that the team had not benefited from any knowledge that Coughlan had gained. Shortly before Honda officially came out and declared itself as the third party involved Ron Dennis gave us some fascinating extra insights into the situation. And it’s far from over yet. The focus has moved from McLaren to Honda and Fry, and the question of how far those discussions got. There’s also the matter of who else the duo intended to bring with them. This story has a long way to go yet…
This keeps getting more crazy daily,........
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07-07-2007, 02:02 AM
#8
Burning Brakes
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The amount of info coming out about this is huge. I am not sure Macca is out of the woods yet. Macca's tech director (Neale) has been rumored to have told Coghlin to destroy the stuff. When did he tell him this? Bottom line that smells of cover-up since the proper thing to do would be to call Ferrari and the police not tell Mike to destroy it... I think Honda is fine (unless Fry had knowledge of the stolen info). Fry apparently turned them down soon after (or at) their late April meeting, once the stolen data lost its new great job meaning for Coghlin did he not use it over the next 2 months while in Macca's employee? We will likely never know. My guess is Macca derived some benefit from the info through Coughlin whether they know it or not.
07-07-2007, 01:41 PM
#9
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Originally Posted by ilitig8
The amount of info coming out about this is huge. I am not sure Macca is out of the woods yet. Macca's tech director (Neale) has been rumored to have told Coghlin to destroy the stuff. When did he tell him this? Bottom line that smells of cover-up since the proper thing to do would be to call Ferrari and the police not tell Mike to destroy it... I think Honda is fine (unless Fry had knowledge of the stolen info). Fry apparently turned them down soon after (or at) their late April meeting, once the stolen data lost its new great job meaning for Coghlin did he not use it over the next 2 months while in Macca's employee? We will likely never know. My guess is Macca derived some benefit from the info through Coughlin whether they know it or not.
07-09-2007, 12:22 AM
#10
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Another Update,...sort of:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/spo...cle2042028.ece
NIGEL STEPNEY, the Ferrari engineer accused of sabotaging his own team, yesterday indicated he will sue his former employers for unfair dismissal and claimed that he had been hounded from his home in Italy after being constantly shadowed by men he did not recognise.
Speaking from a Mediterranean hideaway, he also indicated that he continued to believe he had been made a scapegoat and was prepared to reveal the secrets of his time at the team. “I’ve been framed,” he said. “I’ve been with Ferrari for 14 years and there’s been a lot of controversy over the years, and I obviously know where the bodies are buried.”
He added that he and his fiancée Ash and their baby daughter had fled from their home after being followed when out in their car by men who would not reveal their identity. “They aren’t journalists, and when we’ve cornered them they’ve refused to speak, and they have tracking equipment on my car,” he said. “They have made it impossible for me to stay in Italy.”
Stepney is being investigated by Italian police over claims that he had attempted to sabotage the Ferrari cars of Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa before the Monaco Grand Prix in May. The engineer’s house in Italy has been searched twice.
Related Links
* Allegations of chicanery not new in Formula One
He insisted yesterday that he had not been involved in any sabotage, nor any theft of documents from Ferrari. “I had been in the area of the factory where the so-called incident took place, as it is somewhere I had access to, but it is not true I did anything,” he said.
His lawyer, Sonia Bartolini, said last night: “We are going to fight this and it is to be expected that we will challenge Ferrari’s actions in dismissing Nigel. This cannot be left as it is.”
Ferrari were unavailable for comment.
Last week the espionage scandal surrounding the sport deepened when it emerged that Mike Coughlan, the McLaren chief designer, had been suspended over allegations that he was in possession of nearly 500 pages of Ferrari documents.
Stepney yesterday denied that he had passed any documents to Coughlan. “I have no idea how he got them, no idea at all,” he said. “We met at the end of April in Spain, just a catchup between old friends.” He added that that meeting had been witnessed by Mike Gascoigne, the Spyker technical director.
On Friday it was revealed that both Stepney and Coughlan had met Nick Fry, the team principal of Honda, at a Heathrow hotel on June 1. Stepney backed up Fry’s statement that it was simply a meeting about the men joining the Japanese-backed team. “I went to Honda to discuss employment. At no time did I offer, and nor did Mike offer, any technical information to Nick. We didn’t need to,” he said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/spo...cle2042028.ece
NIGEL STEPNEY, the Ferrari engineer accused of sabotaging his own team, yesterday indicated he will sue his former employers for unfair dismissal and claimed that he had been hounded from his home in Italy after being constantly shadowed by men he did not recognise.
Speaking from a Mediterranean hideaway, he also indicated that he continued to believe he had been made a scapegoat and was prepared to reveal the secrets of his time at the team. “I’ve been framed,” he said. “I’ve been with Ferrari for 14 years and there’s been a lot of controversy over the years, and I obviously know where the bodies are buried.”
He added that he and his fiancée Ash and their baby daughter had fled from their home after being followed when out in their car by men who would not reveal their identity. “They aren’t journalists, and when we’ve cornered them they’ve refused to speak, and they have tracking equipment on my car,” he said. “They have made it impossible for me to stay in Italy.”
Stepney is being investigated by Italian police over claims that he had attempted to sabotage the Ferrari cars of Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa before the Monaco Grand Prix in May. The engineer’s house in Italy has been searched twice.
Related Links
* Allegations of chicanery not new in Formula One
He insisted yesterday that he had not been involved in any sabotage, nor any theft of documents from Ferrari. “I had been in the area of the factory where the so-called incident took place, as it is somewhere I had access to, but it is not true I did anything,” he said.
His lawyer, Sonia Bartolini, said last night: “We are going to fight this and it is to be expected that we will challenge Ferrari’s actions in dismissing Nigel. This cannot be left as it is.”
Ferrari were unavailable for comment.
Last week the espionage scandal surrounding the sport deepened when it emerged that Mike Coughlan, the McLaren chief designer, had been suspended over allegations that he was in possession of nearly 500 pages of Ferrari documents.
Stepney yesterday denied that he had passed any documents to Coughlan. “I have no idea how he got them, no idea at all,” he said. “We met at the end of April in Spain, just a catchup between old friends.” He added that that meeting had been witnessed by Mike Gascoigne, the Spyker technical director.
On Friday it was revealed that both Stepney and Coughlan had met Nick Fry, the team principal of Honda, at a Heathrow hotel on June 1. Stepney backed up Fry’s statement that it was simply a meeting about the men joining the Japanese-backed team. “I went to Honda to discuss employment. At no time did I offer, and nor did Mike offer, any technical information to Nick. We didn’t need to,” he said.
07-12-2007, 12:58 AM
#11
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Ferrari make deal with Coughlan
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/38670/
The scheduled court hearing set to go down at London’s High Court this Wednesday has been canceled, as Scuderia Ferrari and McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan have reached an agreement last night, autosport.com reports.
According to the story, Coughlan and his wife Trudy have agreed to deliver a dossier to Ferrari revealing all of their knowledge about “Stepneygate” – Coughlan is allegedly the receptor of Ferrari technical information leaked by the Scuderia’s former chief mechanic Nigel Stepney – while continuing to cooperate fully with the investigation.
Also as part of the deal, Ferrari won’t bring the material against Coughlan to its investigation versus Stepney in the Modena district attorney’s office in Italy.
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/38670/
The scheduled court hearing set to go down at London’s High Court this Wednesday has been canceled, as Scuderia Ferrari and McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan have reached an agreement last night, autosport.com reports.
According to the story, Coughlan and his wife Trudy have agreed to deliver a dossier to Ferrari revealing all of their knowledge about “Stepneygate” – Coughlan is allegedly the receptor of Ferrari technical information leaked by the Scuderia’s former chief mechanic Nigel Stepney – while continuing to cooperate fully with the investigation.
Also as part of the deal, Ferrari won’t bring the material against Coughlan to its investigation versus Stepney in the Modena district attorney’s office in Italy.
07-14-2007, 09:19 AM
#12
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UPDATE
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/38688/
The FIA, the governing body for international motorsport, has called an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council for July 26 in order to hear McLaren’s version of the “Stepneygate” scandal, which involves the silver team’s chief designer, Mike Coughlan, allegedly receiving confidential technical information linked by the Scuderia’s former chief mechanic, Nigel Stepney.
“Representatives of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes have been requested to appear before an extraordinary meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Thursday, July 26, 2007,” the entity said in a statement.
“The team representatives have been called to answer a charge that between March and July 2007, in breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes had unauthorized possession of documents and confidential information belonging to Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, including information that could be used to design, engineer, build, check, test, develop and/or run a 2007 Ferrari Formula 1 car.”
Article 15c refers to "any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally."
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/38688/
The FIA, the governing body for international motorsport, has called an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council for July 26 in order to hear McLaren’s version of the “Stepneygate” scandal, which involves the silver team’s chief designer, Mike Coughlan, allegedly receiving confidential technical information linked by the Scuderia’s former chief mechanic, Nigel Stepney.
“Representatives of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes have been requested to appear before an extraordinary meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Thursday, July 26, 2007,” the entity said in a statement.
“The team representatives have been called to answer a charge that between March and July 2007, in breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes had unauthorized possession of documents and confidential information belonging to Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, including information that could be used to design, engineer, build, check, test, develop and/or run a 2007 Ferrari Formula 1 car.”
Article 15c refers to "any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally."
07-21-2007, 02:57 AM
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Email sent to Macca at the beginning of the season re Ferrari's "flexible floor"
http://www.planetf1.com/story/0,1895...602846,00.html
http://www.planetf1.com/story/0,1895...602846,00.html
07-24-2007, 09:40 AM
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^^You'd want no good, cheating shitheads like this working for a team you admire? I don't. 
Not only that but exactly what talent is Stepney bringing w/ him if he were to accept a position at Honda?
Not only that but exactly what talent is Stepney bringing w/ him if he were to accept a position at Honda?
07-24-2007, 09:54 AM
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Couglan and Stepney need a perma 
from F1 and likely will get one, if not from the FIA, from the teams' desire not to hire saboteurs.
from F1 and likely will get one, if not from the FIA, from the teams' desire not to hire saboteurs.
01-22-2008, 09:00 AM
#18
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Less than a year after being fired by Ferrari due to sabotaging allegations ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, ex-Scuderia chief mechanic Nigel Stepney has found a new job in motorsport. The Briton has been signed by English onboard camera company Gigawave.
A statement issued by Gigawave said: "The position will cover all areas of Gigawave Ltd's involvement in motorsport, including the continual development of its on-board camera systems that are used in major worldwide race series. Gigawave Ltd. feels that an engineer of Nigel's caliber and experience can only benefit the business's future technological development."
Gigawave will also run a privateer Aston Martin team in the FIA GT championship, a venture Stepney is expected to be involved with.
A statement issued by Gigawave said: "The position will cover all areas of Gigawave Ltd's involvement in motorsport, including the continual development of its on-board camera systems that are used in major worldwide race series. Gigawave Ltd. feels that an engineer of Nigel's caliber and experience can only benefit the business's future technological development."
Gigawave will also run a privateer Aston Martin team in the FIA GT championship, a venture Stepney is expected to be involved with.
09-30-2010, 07:01 AM
#20
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The Ferrari-McLaren 2007 spy story has been concluded in Sassuolo, at the detached seat of the criminal court of Modena.
The court has accepted a plea bargain submitted by the attorneys for Nigel Stepney, who was accused of stealing Ferrari's confidential information and of damaging the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen on the eve of Monaco GP when he was still a Ferrari employee.
Stepney pleaded guilty, although he has always denied the sabotage charge, and was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment and fined 900 Euros, reduced to one year and eight months and 600 Euros, conditionally suspended.
The rule brings to an end the criminal charges over Spygate, with the mattered settled from a civil law standpoint in July 2008, when Ferrari accepted McLaren apologies as well as a compensation for damages which Ferrari then divulged to charity.
The court has accepted a plea bargain submitted by the attorneys for Nigel Stepney, who was accused of stealing Ferrari's confidential information and of damaging the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen on the eve of Monaco GP when he was still a Ferrari employee.
Stepney pleaded guilty, although he has always denied the sabotage charge, and was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment and fined 900 Euros, reduced to one year and eight months and 600 Euros, conditionally suspended.
The rule brings to an end the criminal charges over Spygate, with the mattered settled from a civil law standpoint in July 2008, when Ferrari accepted McLaren apologies as well as a compensation for damages which Ferrari then divulged to charity.
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