Nigel Stepney s lawyer Sonya Bartolini has said that there is still no proof that Stepney tampered with and sabotaged Ferrari s cars last season.
Stepney, a former Ferrari mechanic and the centrepoint of Formula One s 2007 spying scandal, was also accused of sabotaging the team s cars at the same time as the espionage story. Reports centred on white powder being found in the fuel tanks of Ferrari s cars ahead of the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix, powder which might have caused the engines to seize had it not been found in time. Traces of the powder were allegedly found at Stepney s house and clothes at the time.
Judge Barbara Malvasi appointed an expert, Maurizio Migliaccio, to analyse the powder. Migliaccio is reported to have stated that the white substance is a mix of food supplements and vitamins.
“Overall, Professor Migliaccio s statement help Nigel because they don t fully address all the doubts,†Bartolini explained to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport. “In fact, it isn t clear whether the powder, when put into the fuel tank, would have caused the engine to seize, and even less make the car stop suddenly with the possible consequence of damage to people, as hypothesized by the magistrate.
“We had no doubt that the powder would be the same as the sample found on Stepney s trousers however that doesn t automatically mean the involvements of my client in this affair.â€
