[feAilei1]

Former Ferrari mechanic Nigel Stepney says he never expected the information he gave to McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan to be used by the team to gain an advantage. The mind boggles

[nintenda]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64770

You made my day!

[Lebybynctisee]

I think Stepney would make a fine partner to a certain B Spears right now......

[Knongargoapex]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64770

Excerpt :
By Jonathan Noble ------------- Monday, January 21st 2008, 10:32 GMT
Former Ferrari mechanic Nigel Stepney says he never expected the information he gave to McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan to be used by the team to gain an advantage ..... As an "outsider" my opinion may not have much merit but ...
I have to ask what did Stepney think the information would be used for ?
Could he be so foolish as to think that McLaren wouldn't use vital information ?

[isopsmypovA]

I postulated that Stepney was using the plans for credibility when asking Coughlan to join him in leaving for Honda in the beginning of this mess .

He was a fool to try this on , and a fool for thinking it wouldn't be used , but it might just be that this was the original plan .
When Honda's Fry didn't bite , they went to plan B , which involved current race strategy and mysterious white powder .

[+++Poguru+++]

[QUOTE=Bagwan;410862]I postulated that Stepney was using the plans for credibility when asking Coughlan to join him in leaving for Honda in the beginning of this mess .

My thoughts too !!!

That's about the only likely scenario possible... without concluding they were simply Idiots.

Seems as though... Stepney & Coughan were plotting together... hoping to join Honda's opperation.

[pataagusata]

Good thing he wasn't giving nuclear secrets to Iran with the idea that they would never be used!!!

[bely832new]

i am sure he could have got a job at any other team with out the technical dossier after bing part of that Dreamteam.

Nigel Stepney denies responsibility for McLaren punishment in spy scandal
http://canadianpress.google.com/arti...KVMoc4FkKMy_4A

[Lymneterfeiff]

It seems to me that he's a bit of an idiot, and in light of those two fools plotting together, makes me believe that no one team should have been punished for this debacle.

[boltondd]

Fact is that people changes teams all the time, from drivers to cooks, and most of them do not start a big scandal when dealing with another team. So I would have to conclude that Stepney is indeed an idiot

[pataagusata]

It seems to me that he's a bit of an idiot, and in light of those two fools plotting together, makes me believe that no one team should have been punished for this debacle.

But how smart is the team that illegally uses the data from an "idiot?"

[FUNALA]

wouldn't matter if they did, he's been banned from working in F1 for lfe

[FUNALA]

i did wonder, but there is a throwaway line in the middle of the ITV-F1 report on the same that says he has been, which now appears to have been changed.

i'll be interested to see if anything comes out of the case, i still feel that there is plenty more we don't know about what happened which could be quite juicy, although i doubt anything that will salvage any of the damaged reputations to date

[UvgpXK0J]

This guy, judging by his own comments, has lost his mind.

The way I see it is that he passed technical data in order to gain money (by selling the secrets document or by achieving a better job at another team).

[sharpyure]

"I think, at the end of this year or at the end of 2007, I was looking to get out of Ferrari anyway; whether it was going to be in Formula One I wasn't quite sure. I think Formula One was going away from a direction I really wanted to go."

Where?? to being honest and transparent

[socialkiiii]

Yikes.... this whole thing is such a mess....

And, I must agree with the words posted here. Did he really think any engineer would take specs from a rival car and just use to jump up and down and scream - "Mommmy, Mommy, looky what Ferrari is doing!!!"???

[BGThomasis]

Not yet he hasn't. The FIA hearing inviting Stepney to explain why he shouldn't face a 'lengthy ban' has not taken place.

More pressingly, he will be in an Italian courtroom in the next 12 months.

I would not want to be in a italian court room on charges that I ****ed Ferrari!!

[Lymneterfeiff]

But how smart is the team that illegally uses the data from an "idiot?"

I suppose they're quite smart if they don't get caught lol.

However it seems that there were 3 people in this chain that weren't mentally 100% last year, and they were the ones that were implicated in it the most.

Stepney - Coughlan - Alonso

I mean Fernando can be added to the list for his attempted bribery of Ron Dennis.

Ferrari can feel betrayed and angry and they have been unfairly treated by their own employee.

Maybe the only consolation is the 'help' they receive from the F.I.A.

[usadatronourl]

But yet apparently Stepney was the one that brought the Ferrai illegal floor to the FIA and Rons attention thus whistle blowing on his own team,

Then suddenly he's getting the boot from Ferrari, and being discredited.

I'm onclined not to believe the propaganda from Ferrari just yet. They have been clearly trying to destroy Stepneys character prior to any court hearing. Guilty or not, Ferrari aren't playing by the rules much are they?

Further more to believe that information has only gone one way in this whole situation is daft. Ofcourse Ferrari were aware of some of the MErcs details...Rerrari were just better at using it discretely.

Im not anti Ferrari, but this past year they tested my understanding of them and there ways with the FIA. They have also said an awful lot about Stepney in public, which until the court case happens, shouldn't happen, also no italian court is going to rule against Ferrari are they, so how fair will his court hearing be?????

[Trotoleterm]

Come on, he is not an idiot, he is a LIAR.