Stewart slams witch-hunt

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The former three-times world champion does not think the way the FIA and Ferrari have pursued the "spy scandal" is good for the sport, with another hearing due in Paris on Thursday.

Stewart said: "Trying to implicate a team like this is negative for F1."

He added: "The FIA have historically been very close to Ferrari, closer to them than anyone else.

"There are more Ferrari representatives on the World Council than anybody else, and it seems that some of the most powerful people in this sport are more aligned to Ferrari than anybody else.

"For whatever reason, and I'm not saying that there hasn't been wrongdoing, but the very fact that this information came out of Ferrari means their own security and integrity level has to be judged.

An FIA spokesperson, though, has rejected Stewart's accusations, stating: "This inquiry was triggered by a letter of complaint from Ferrari.

"That was, in turn, triggered by the extraordinary discovery of 780 pages of their most confidential technical information in the hands of McLaren's chief designer.

"Under the circumstances, the suggestion that the FIA's ongoing investigation is about anything other than the pursuit of sporting fairness demonstrates a blinding refusal to accept the basic facts."