Dennis Suspects a Rival Team is Cheating (Updated)

McLaren cast doubt on the legality of at least one rival team's cars on Saturday, exposing a looming row over interpretation of Formula One's strict technical regulations.

"There is definitely a difference of opinion at the moment about one particular interpretation," team boss Ron Dennis said at the launch of the 2002 MP4-17 car at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya.

He said McLaren believed the unspecified development would be presented as "a technical innovation but (one) which we believe does sit outside what we believe to be the correct interpretation of the rules.

"I'm reluctant to be more specific but again we are going into a season where your ability to develop and generate a new car which has genuinely got innovative thinking is difficult," Dennis said. "We are very comfortable that everything on our car is completely consistent with the regulations. We are not so sure about other people's. It will all unfold."

Only three rivals - British American Racing, Jaguar and Toyota - have launched their 2002 cars so far, but Dennis said McLaren had been aware of the controversial development for some time. Teams stretch the regulations to the limit in search of an extra fraction of a second in speed and, with photographic espionage rife in the massively expensive sport, struggle to maintain secrets for any length of time.

Driver Aids

Some recent media reports talked about Ferrari's brake cooling system acting as an aerodynamic aid before that development was given the all-clear. Williams rejected suggestions from rival teams last season that they were breaking the spirit of the rules, if not the regulations, with their car's rear diffuser.

Formula One changed, on a technical level, last season when a ban on so-called driver aids such as traction control was lifted after numerous allegations of cheating. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) decided to legalise the sophisticated electronic systems after admitting they were too difficult to police.

Dennis suggested that the rules were now so strict that teams trying to remain on the cutting edge had to check constantly with the FIA. Even then they had no guarantee that the ruling body's opinion would be upheld if others protested.

The procedure involved "crafting what is normally a series of questions which are forwarded to the FIA and they give you an opinion back which is always heavily qualified," he said. "The problem with opinions is that they are just that...you can embark upon some incredibly expensive process only to find that the opinion has changed. That has happened to many teams."

McLaren managing director Martin Whitmarsh recognised there was always a risk that a team could find themselves playing catch-up if a development they were aware of but had not embraced were to be permitted. But he said his team made every effort to ensure they remained within the spirit of the regulations.

"We need for the credibility of our team to go to each race with a legal car," he said. "It would obviously be catastrophic for us to find out that our car is illegal. As a competitive organisation sometimes we question and challenge, are they (the FIA) being even-handed, is there a level playing field here?

"There have been times when certainly we felt, because we are striving to win, disappointed by some of the decisions in the past and that's inevitable," he added.