FORUMula1.com

[texasmr2]

bud,
If you dont mind I would like to use one of your quote's and I'm using it in reference to the Renault debacle "a farce punishment requires some farce unfarcening by the farcical farks who run the farcing sport"! I love that man .

[McLaren Fan]

From autosport.com:

Stepney disappointed with Coughlan's take

By Michele Lostia and Pablo Elizalde Tuesday, February 19th 2008, 10:35 GMT

Nigel Stepney is waiting for Mike Coughlan to explain his position in the spy scandal, after insisting on Monday that he had not handed any Ferrari data to McLaren's suspended chief designer.

Stepney was interviewed on Monday by an Italian magistrate probing last year's spying scandal, and the former Ferrari mechanic said he had nothing to hide.

His lawyer Sonia Bartolini said Stepney had again denied having given any Ferrari information to Coughlan.

"When questioned my client rejected the accusation of having given Coughlan the 780-page dossier with Ferrari projects to give to McLaren," Bartolini was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.

"There were always contacts between them, but there never was a hand-over of written documents.

"It's true that Nigel met Coughlan in Barcelona last spring to organize a move to Honda. They scribbled some drawings, that's it. In fact Nigel struggled to identify those 780 pages because he never had them at his disposal. Maybe all that material got stolen, but that has nothing to do with Stepney.

"This is why he's disappointed with Coughlan and his contradicting statements, while Stepney's statements to the magistrate are consistent with those given to the FIA."

Gazzetta reports that there is a possibility Coughlan and Stepney will be interrogated at the same time, face-to-face.

"At the moment, the interrogation of Stepney is more than enough," Magistrate Giuseppe Tibis said. "He collaborated by answering every question. As for the other people under investigation, it will be up to them to decide whether to show up or not.

"I've already invited them, maybe I'll see some of them in March."

Bartolini added: "The confrontation is fine, Stepney has nothing to hide. If anyone, it's Coughlan the one who has to make his position clear: from Great Britain we understand that he's never been removed from McLaren. We count on getting hold of documentation that testifies Stepney's good will."

Tibis was was to question leading McLaren figures, including team boss Ron Dennis and F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh, on Monday but the meeting was put back.

[Martin]

From autosport.com:

Stepney disappointed with Coughlan's take

By Michele Lostia and Pablo Elizalde Tuesday, February 19th 2008, 10:35 GMT

Nigel Stepney is waiting for Mike Coughlan to explain his position in the spy scandal, after insisting on Monday that he had not handed any Ferrari data to McLaren's suspended chief designer.

Stepney was interviewed on Monday by an Italian magistrate probing last year's spying scandal, and the former Ferrari mechanic said he had nothing to hide.

His lawyer Sonia Bartolini said Stepney had again denied having given any Ferrari information to Coughlan.


"When questioned my client rejected the accusation of having given Coughlan the 780-page dossier with Ferrari projects to give to McLaren," Bartolini was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.

"There were always contacts between them, but there never was a hand-over of written documents.

"It's true that Nigel met Coughlan in Barcelona last spring to organize a move to Honda. They scribbled some drawings, that's it. In fact Nigel struggled to identify those 780 pages because he never had them at his disposal. Maybe all that material got stolen, but that has nothing to do with Stepney.

"This is why he's disappointed with Coughlan and his contradicting statements, while Stepney's statements to the magistrate are consistent with those given to the FIA."

Gazzetta reports that there is a possibility Coughlan and Stepney will be interrogated at the same time, face-to-face.

"At the moment, the interrogation of Stepney is more than enough," Magistrate Giuseppe Tibis said. "He collaborated by answering every question. As for the other people under investigation, it will be up to them to decide whether to show up or not.

"I've already invited them, maybe I'll see some of them in March."

Bartolini added: "The confrontation is fine, Stepney has nothing to hide. If anyone, it's Coughlan the one who has to make his position clear: from Great Britain we understand that he's never been removed from McLaren. We count on getting hold of documentation that testifies Stepney's good will."

Tibis was was to question leading McLaren figures, including team boss Ron Dennis and F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh, on Monday but the meeting was put back.

Hmm, SAo the saga goes on. From my previous post -

Lets make some guesses, what could be mitigating circumstances for Stepney?
1. a mental health issue? Didn't know what he was doing! - this might work but there has been no suggestion of this so far has there?
2. Todt encouraged Stepney to do this in order to discredit McL. Possible I suppose but unlikely. If this was the case then it would get McL. off the hook.
3. That Coughlan stole the data from Stepney. There seems to be no doubt that the source of data from Ferrari was Stepney, so Stepney could use that defence.
So thats the chosen defence. Effectively, Stepney seems to be saying that he does not know how McL came into possesion of the dossier. It does put doubt over the whole McL case. That McL had the data is not in dispute, neither is the fact that several McL staff saw the data, but the means by which it arrived at McL are very significant to McL. For example, if the data was stolen, as opposed to being given by Stepney to Coughlan, then there could be serious implications against McL. All of this should have been investigated by the FIA before the McL. case. Half baked, arse about face management. Appaling.

[bud]

I think its the Italians not being able to accept a Ferrari employee was the root of this evil in beleiving Stepney's account straight away.
Think it will be a farsical trial in Italy, the truth will probably only come out in the UK courts

[Martin]

I think its the Italians not being able to accept a Ferrari employee was the root of this evil in beleiving Stepney's account straight away.
Think it will be a farsical trial in Italy, the truth will probably only come out in the UK courts

good point Bud. But still , for the FIA to be looking at all this AFTER the McL case is a nonsense.