Costa: Ferrari know-how a help to McLaren

Although McLaren have apologised for not realising the extent to which Ferrari information had manifested itself inside their team, and offered a design freeze on parts that could have been inspired by their rivals, the team did not accept that there was any proof they used 'confidential information on the 2007 or 2008 car'.

However, Costa thinks that even if McLaren did not use the actual information to create copies of Ferrari systems, just being aware of what the Italian team were doing was enough to hand them an advantage.

When asked by Italian magazine Autosprint whether he felt McLaren could have gained from knowledge about systems that had already been tried in the past by the Woking-based team, Costa said: "We think so.

"The fundamental thing is not so much the type of mechanical solution in itself, which may be something already existing. Nowadays, with modern technology, it's difficult to invent something new out of the blue.

"The most important thing is that, with the documentation they had in their hands, they had the demonstration of the usefulness of these mechanical solutions.

"Therefore they were able to push to have them in the car as soon as possible. That's the grave matter."

Costa says that his comments relate not just to the quick shift and fast fill braking systems but also other areas on the car.

"We are talking about everything that was mentioned by the FIA with regards to McLaren's letter of apology," he said.

When asked whether he thinks the McLaren systems at the centre of the matter should be scrapped completely, he said: "Yes, I think so. It would certainly be fairer."