Rivals agree row ruining F1

Formula One rivals Ron Dennis and Jean Todt have finally discovered common ground in a season in which they have been at war on and off the track.

McLaren and Ferrari bosses Dennis and Todt both believe the image of Formula One is being affected by the ongoing spy saga which is also impacting on the fans.

“It’s a taint on the sport,” reflected Todt, who will see Dennis on Thursday in Paris in the second World Motor Sport Council hearing into the case.

“You can have a bad controversy in athletics, it can happen with gold medal winners, in cycling, football, and now it is something that is happening in Formula One.

“We are sorry it is happening in our sport, but we are in the position where we want the truth to appear.

“That’s all that we want, all that we have been working on and doing, and we are confident the truth will come through.”

Assessing the situation from his perspective, Dennis said: “It’s not great, is it?

“Sometimes I get a bit confused by many things in life, and this one’s pretty confusing.

“We’ve got a great Formula One, fantastic audiences, and a highly motivated fan base which is thoroughly enjoying the four drivers competing for the world championship.

“It doesn’t happen that often, and it’s a shame that this should be a distraction from what has been a great season.”

Such mutual concern is short-lived, though, because both men are determined to see justice served.

New evidence has surfaced that puts McLaren’s title hopes on the line, with the team threatened with expulsion from not only this year’s championship, but also from 2008.

McLaren were found guilty of ’fraudulent conduct’ at the initial hearing in July, yet avoided any punishment due to ’insufficient evidence’.

If a similar verdict emerges on Thursday, Todt insists that will not be the end of the matter.

“With the FIA, I’m not going to comment on what the decision will be because I don’t know what it will be,” added Todt.

“We will outline what can happen once the decision has been taken.

“But for us, it is something which is too important, and we will move forward in Italy and with the civil case in the UK as well.”

There is the belief McLaren will not escape a second time, yet Todt is refusing to speculate on what punishment would be fitting.

“It’s not a menu where you are asked ’Would you prefer number one or number two?”’ remarked Todt.

“The FIA and World Council will have to decide with the evidence that they have in hand.

“Our duty is to provide as much evidence as possible for the World Council to understand exactly what has happened.

“We didn’t accept their initial decision, and we found proof the decision was not appropriate.

“If you see the wording of the decision – in case of new evidence things will be different – and we will be able to produce new evidence.”