Planet-F1

A Few Conclusions From The Italian GP

Sunday 9th September 2007

Fernando Alonso was a class apart in Monza but he made no friends this weekend and has surely burnt his bridges at McLaren...

Ferrari Can't Win The Title On The Track. But They Can Still Win
Unable to match either the pace or reliability of McLaren, Ferrari cannot now expect to win either the Drivers' Championship or the Constructors' title on the track. But they can still win.

The FIA have pursued their case against McLaren with uncommon intensity. Nobody of significance was prepared to go on the record to say as much, but the prevailing opinion inside the Monza paddock this weekend was a personal vendetta had caused the rebirth of the Stepneygate scandal. Lest we forget, Max Mosley and Ron Dennis aren't friends.

Last month's hearing in Paris related to the discovery that Mike Coughlan possessed a dossier of Ferrari technical information but found no conclusive evidence that McLaren had used the information to its advantage. Instead of letting the matter rest, the governing body has maintained its pursuit of a smoking gun with what Sir Frank Williams "cynically" terms "enormous tenacity". A witch-hunt, in other words.

Thursday's case will apparently focus on the flow of information that passed between Coughlan and Nigel Stepney in the months before the dossier was handed over. For McLaren, the change in approach is ominous. To be found not guilty, they must prove that none of the information exchanged - however trivial - was used in any way by their chief designer or team personnel.

The 'new evidence' that has prompted the second hearing is believed to relate to an email exchange between Pedro de la Rosa and Fernando Alonso in March. Tellingly, de la Rosa has frequently been described this weekend as a "close friend of Coughlan". If just one Stepney-inspired snippet, mentioned even in passing, has made its way into McLaren's bloodstream then the team will be plunged into boiling water.

On a speculative note, the arm-twisting missive sent by the FIA to the three McLaren drivers guaranteed that 'any information you may make available in response to this letter will not result in any proceedings against you under the International Sporting Code or the Formula One regulations.'

For what it's worth, my suspicion is that the Drivers' Championship will be unaffected by Thursday's hearing, while McLaren will either be deducted Constructor points or expelled entirely. If so, it will be a travesty.