Renault says McLaren data was not used
Renault are adamant that none of the McLaren intellectual property at the centre of the new spy controversy has been used in the design of their Formula One cars
The former world champions have been summoned to appear before a hearing of the FIA World Motor Sport Council on December 6 to answer charges that the team had McLaren design details in their possession.
In a statement issued by Renault on Friday, however, the team said that former McLaren engineer Phil Mackereth had arrived at the team with several old-style floppy disks that included engineering drawings and some technical spreadsheets from his former employers.
Although this information was loaded onto Mackereth's computer at Renault, and some small-scale drawings shown to other members of staff, investigations have suggested that it provided no influence on car design.
The statement said: "Subsequent witness statements from the engineers involved have categorically stated that having been briefly shown these drawings, none of this information was used to influence design decisions relating to the Renault car."
Renault also reiterated that they have cooperated fully with McLaren and the FIA on the matter ever since they were alerted about the discs in early September.
As well as suspending Mackereth, the discs have been returned to McLaren and all the information on Renault's systems has been deleted.
The statement added: "ING Renault F1 Team have co-operated fully with McLaren and the FIA in this matter to the extent that the team has invited McLaren's independent experts to come and assess the team's computer systems and inspect the cars and the design records, to demonstrate that this unfortunate incident has not in anyway influenced the design of the cars.
"ING Renault F1 Team have acted with complete transparency towards McLaren and the FIA, being proactive in solving this matter and we are fully confident in the judgment of the World Council."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
McLaren needs to understand puzzling “up and down” F1 form - Piastri
The F1 hero to zero dividing line that has never been so thin
Mercedes taking action to cure F1 car's “underlying balance” problem
What could have been: When Villeneuve’s shock return thwarted an F1 rookie
Friday favourite: Renault's original F1 title-winner that began the Alonso era
Why Renault's survivor wasn't part of Alpine's plans
The plot twist that gave Arrow McLaren’s Ward his first IndyCar win as team principal
Formula E’s new Gen3 Evo car breaks cover
The weekly reality check that has kept MotoGP hype off of Acosta so far in 2024
F2 veteran Ghiotto to make IndyCar debut with Dale Coyne Racing at Barber
The F1 hero to zero dividing line that has never been so thin
How Stroll and Magnussen revealed the scale of F1’s racing and rules problems
Did F1's new sprint format work?
Chinese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2024
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments