Ferrari continue fight

Ferrari’s board of directors have confirmed they are to pursue every legal avenue open to them as the ’spy’ and sabotage sagas rumble on.

For the last four weeks the affairs in England and Italy have dominated Formula One, with Ferrari determined to seek justice.

In Italy there is ongoing legal action on two fronts against Nigel Stepney, dismissed by Ferrari as head of performance development on July 3.

It is claimed Stepney attempted to sabotage the Ferrari cars prior to the Monaco Grand Prix in May, while the Briton is also accused of passing on 780 pages of technical information to McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan.

Coughlan was suspended from his post on the same date as Stepney’s sacking, and along with wife Trudy, has already appeared in the High Court in relation to the theft of Ferrari data.

World motor sport’s governing body, the FIA, have now referred their own case regarding the dossier to their Court of Appeal.

McLaren were last week found guilty of fraudulent conduct, but due to ’insufficient evidence’, they were not punished, resulting in fury from Ferrari.

FIA president Max Mosley has re-opened the door for McLaren to be punished, with the appeal hearing likely to be heard in Paris at the end of this month.

Meanwhile, following a meeting of the Ferrari board, they are to push forward in every way possible with their own actions.

A statement read: “The board gives its full authority to the board of directors’ president, to the CEO, and to the managing director to initiate and continue any necessary legal action, in the name of the company, in addition to those legal actions already underway, in every legal, civil, criminal, administrative and sporting jurisdiction, be it in Italy or abroad.”