Former Ferrari driver Mika Salo on Saturday clarified commen

Former Ferrari driver Mika Salo on Saturday clarified commen#11112

By Fact Man - 28 Jul 07, 18:54

- 28 Jul 07, 18:54#11112

LONDON (Reuters) - Former Ferrari driver Mika Salo on Saturday clarified comments made to a Finnish newspaper suggesting that the Italian team had routinely spied on Formula One rivals McLaren in the past.

"What has been published in Ilta-Sanomat does not match the thoughts I wanted to express," the Finn said in a clarification provided by Ferrari.

"I would therefore like to make it clear that I was only referring to Formula One in the late nineties, when radio technology was still at an almost amateurish level, which meant it could happen that some radio conversations could be listened to randomly because of interference."

Salo was quoted on Friday, after a hearing of the sport's governing body into a spy controversy that has gripped Formula One, as saying that when he drove for Ferrari "we always spied on McLaren, listening to their radio traffic.

"After every practice session I had in front of me, on paper, all the discussions Mika Hakkinen had had with his engineer."

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#11118

By McLaren Fan - 28 Jul 07, 20:11

- 28 Jul 07, 20:11#11118

So instead of saying we spied only on McLaren he is saying we spied on those who were a threat to us, which would be McLaren in '99 season. :shock:

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#11120

By Lewis Hamilton - COME ON! - 28 Jul 07, 21:03

- 28 Jul 07, 21:03#11120

So instead of saying we spied only on McLaren he is saying we spied on those who were a threat to us, which would be McLaren in '99 season.

if thats true, then how did Michael Schumacher NOT contest the championship with Mika Hakkinen, while Eddie Irvine did & Eddie NEARLY won the championship!

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#11126

By McLaren Fan - 29 Jul 07, 10:32

- 29 Jul 07, 10:32#11126

So instead of saying we spied only on McLaren he is saying we spied on those who were a threat to us, which would be McLaren in '99 season.

if thats true, then how did Michael Schumacher NOT contest the championship with Mika Hakkinen, while Eddie Irvine did & Eddie NEARLY won the championship!

Mika says: 'when radio technology was still at an almost amateurish level, which meant it could happen that some radio conversations could be listened to randomly because of interference.' I suppose you could take from that they heard some of the things that were said but not all of them. In a likewise manner, I wouldn't be surprised McLaren picked up the odd Ferrari conversation too. Michael didn't contest the championship because of his nasty crash at Stowe corner at Silverstone. If he had all of McLaren's radio conversations on transcript, he may have been able to read at home with his broken legs healing, but they'd be little use to him saying as he couldn't drive.