New evidence puts McLaren back in dock

McLAREN face the serious threat of exclusion from the Formula One world championship as new evidence has surfaced in the ‘spy’ saga.

The manufacturers were due to attend a Court of Appeal hearing in Paris next Thursday but that will not now take place.

Instead, the World Motor Sport Council are to reconvene at the FIA headquarters to discuss what has come to light since they last met on July 26.

An FIA statement read: “Following the receipt of new evidence the World Motor Sport Council has been reconvened for a hearing in Paris on September 13th.

“In accordance with its decision of July 26, representatives of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes have been invited to attend the hearing.’’

McLaren were initially found guilty of fraudulent conduct, namely being in possession of unauthorised documents belonging to rivals Ferrari.

That was as a result of Mike Coughlan, McLaren’s suspended chief designer, being found to have a 780-page Ferrari technical dossier at his home.

However, no penalty was imposed due to “insufficient evidence” that the information was used to affect the world championship.

That led to outrage from Ferrari, with pressure brought to bear on FIA president Max Mosley who chose to refer the issue to the Court of Appeal.

The FIA did clearly indicate after the WMSC hearing, though, that the matter was not entirely closed.

Their statement at the time read: “If it is found in the future that the Ferrari information has been used to the detriment of the championship, we reserve the right to invite McLaren back in front of the WMSC where it will face the possibility of exclusion from not only the 2007 championship, but also the 2008 championship.”

If the fresh evidence is damning, exclusion would now appear to be a very real possibility, while other sanctions are also open, such as a fine, points deduction or suspension from races.

Should the verdict go against McLaren, there is every likelihood they would appeal, and so the uncertainty would continue to drag on.

A McLaren statement in response to the FIA read: “McLaren Racing has been made aware that new evidence has been presented to the FIA as part of their ongoing investigation.

“As a result we have been informed the Court of Appeal Hearing scheduled for the September 13 in Paris will now comprise a meeting of the WMSC. McLaren will continue to co-operate fully with the FIA.”

Ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, the status of both world championships is in the balance, with Lewis Hamilton leading reigning double world champion Fernando Alonso by five points.

The Ferrari duo of Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen are 15 and 16 points adrift respectively after their one-two finish in Turkey 10 days ago.

While in the constructors’ championship, McLaren hold an 11-point cushion over Ferrari.