Alonso implicated in FIA findings - Sport - Evening Standard
       

Alonso implicated in FIA findings

Reigning world champion Fernando Alonso has been fully implicated in the FIA's findings behind their strict sanctions of McLaren in the spy scandal.

McLaren were yesterday stripped of all their constructors' points for this season and handed a record fine of 100million US dollars (£49.2million) as punishment.

Scroll down for more

Alonso celebrates at Monza 2007

In their 15-page judgment released today, the FIA have published details of emails exchanged between Alonso and test driver Pedro de la Rosa proving they were in unauthorised possession of highly confidential technical information belonging to Ferrari.

One section of the report reads: "The emails show unequivocally that both Mr Alonso and Mr de la Rosa received confidential Ferrari information via (Mike) Coughlan.

"Both drivers knew that this information was confidential Ferrari information and that both knew that the information was being received by Coughlan from (Nigel) Stepney."

Mike Coughlan was suspended from his position as McLaren chief designer on July 3, the same day Ferrari sacked Stepney as their head of performance development.

It is understood Stepney forwarded a 780-page technical dossier to Coughlan, an accusation the former continues to deny.

But one email exchange between de la Rosa and Alonso dated March 25, 2007, is particularly damning.

It initially relates to the weight distribution of Ferrari's cars as set up for the Australian Grand Prix on March 18.

De la Rosa then pertinently concludes: "All the information from Ferrari is very reliable.

"It comes from Nigel Stepney, their former chief mechanic - I don't know what post he holds now.

"He's the same person who told us in Australia that Kimi (Raikkonen) was stopping on lap 18.

"He's very friendly with Mike Coughlan, our chief designer, and he told him that."

Comments

Don't Miss
Victoria Coren: My obsession with children, five proposals a week and why David and I are no power couple

Victoria Coren

David Mitchell and I are no power couple
The Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition preview party

Summer party

Stars at the The Royal Academy of Arts
London gets ready for the Diamond Jubilee - in pictures

Diamond Jubilee

London gets ready - in pictures
The Glamour Awards - stars turn on the style

Glamour Awards

Stars turn on the style
Duchess of Cambridge is pretty in pink at her first Buckingham Palace garden party

Garden party

Duchess of Cambridge is pretty in pink
FIRST review of Ridley Scott's latest sci-fi blockbuster Prometheus

First review

Is Ridley Scott's Prometheus any good?
Fair-weather goths

Fair-weather goths

The sultry shades of summer darks are coming out of the shadows
Dog save the Queen: Corgis surge in popularity

Dog save the Queen

Corgis surge in popularity
'He’s a better ex than he was a husband', says Boris Johnson's ex wife

A better ex than husband

We talk to Boris Johnson's ex wife
TV Baftas - in pictures

Best of the Baftas

Stars on the red, white and blue carpet