The McLaren team has issued a public statement admitting that the Ferrari information it received last year from Nigel Stepney had been more widely distributed within the company than it had previously admitted. Pulling out all the stops to avoid further penalties from the FIA in the even that the latter determines that data obtained from Ferrari was used on its cars, McLaren also made public
a letter from its COO, Martin Whitmarsh, to FIA president Max Mosley and the World Motorsport Council, dated December 5 ahead of the Council's meeting to consider the matter, which apologized for the team's part in the matter and offered to impose a moratorium on developing parts on its 2008 car that could have been inspired by Ferrari intellectual property.
After an inspection of its 2008 design by FIA-appointed officials led to the suggestion that the deployment of quickshift, fast fill, or the use of CO2 as a tire gas could have come from the Ferrari information, McLaren offered to hold back on development of these systems. However, Whitmarsh’s letter also stressed the team’s position that the FIA’s investigation did not turn up any evidence that the Ferrari information was utilized in the design of McLaren’s 2007 car or its upcoming 2008 model.
The statement read, “As a result of the investigations carried out by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile it has become clear that Ferrari information was more widely disseminated within McLaren than was previously communicated. McLaren greatly regrets that its own investigations did not identify this material and has written to the World Motor Sport Council to apologize for this.
“McLaren has recognized that this entire situation could have been avoided if we had informed Ferrari and the FIA about Nigel Stepney’s first communication when it came to our attention,” the statement also noted. “We are, of course, embarrassed by the successive disclosures and have apologized unreservedly to the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
“McLaren wish to make a public apology to the FIA, Ferrari, the Formula 1 community and to Formula 1 fans throughout the world and offer their assurance that changes are now being made which will ensure that nothing comparable to what has taken place will ever happen again,” the statement concluded. “McLaren have also agreed to pay the costs incurred by the FIA for their investigation.
“McLaren now wishes to put these matters behind it and to move forward focusing on the 2008 season.”