McLaren bosses have been summoned by world motorsport’s governing body, the FIA, to account for their actions in the ongoing ‘spy’ scandal.
Representatives of the team are to appear before an extraordinary meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Thursday, July 26.
McLaren will be asked to to explain how it had possession of Ferrari documents that can be used to design, engineer, build, check, test, develop and run a 2007 Ferrari F-1 car.
The British team, though, today defended its position, issuing a statement which said: “McLaren are extremely disappointed to note that they have been asked by the FIA to answer a charge of being in possession of certain documents and confidential information belonging to Ferrari.
“Whilst McLaren wish to continue their full co-operation with any investigation into this matter, they do wish to make it very clear that the documents and confidential information were only in the possession of one currently suspended employee on an unauthorised basis and no element of it has been used in relation to McLaren’s Formula 1 cars.”
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The issue also made it to the High Court in London on Wednesday when McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan, who was suspended by his team last week when documents were found in his house, agreed to tell Ferrari how he got hold of its design secrets.
Chief designer Coughlan was suspended by McLaren nine days’ ago, before this week appearing in the High Court - alongside wife Trudy - in relation to the theft of technical information from Ferrari.
At a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, the Coughlans were said to have “behaved disgracefully” by copying and keeping a 780-page technical document belonging to Ferrari.
A further hearing was yesterday called off due to the Coughlans providing the High Court with requested affidavits outlining how they came to be in possession of the material. The affidavits were only supplied after it became clear they would not be used in respect of related criminal proceedings in Italy.
Ferrari confirmed they had “agreed not to forward the affidavit to the Italian criminal authorities”.
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However, while the case is due to continue at some stage in the High Court, the FIA are to now probe McLaren’s involvement - if any.
An FIA statement confirmed: “The team representatives have been called to answer a charge that between March and July 2007, in breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes had unauthorised possession of documents and confidential information belonging to Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, including information that could be used to design, engineer, build, check, test, develop and/or run a 2007 Ferrari Formula One car.”
Team principal Ron Dennis has maintained his team’s innocence throughout the affair, while expressing disappointment that his honesty and integrity had been called into question.
Speaking at the British Grand Prix last Friday, Dennis said: “I can categorically state there are no developments whatsoever that have occurred on our cars...relating to this.
“I can comfortably say this will not end in anything that causes McLaren any embarrassment.”
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If McLaren are found guilty, the FIA have a wide range of powers open to them in terms of discipline, which includes the potential expulsion of the team from the championship, or the deduction of points.
At present, Lewis Hamilton has a 12-point lead in the title race over team-mate Fernando Alonso, while McLaren are 25 points clear of Ferrari in the constructors’ championship.