Dennis refutes Macaluso's claims

After an exchange of letters between FIA president Max Mosley and Italian motorsport authority president Luigi Macaluso - with both letters made public by the FIA - Dennis sent a lengthy letter to Macaluso two days ago.

That letter, in which Dennis stakes his team's version of the events in the spying affair, was made public on Wednesday by McLaren.

Macaluso, in turn, responded to Dennis yesterday, also making his letter public, and, sure enough, Dennis responded today in kind.

This time, Dennis refutes Macaluso's claims that Ferrari were not given sufficient opportunity to claim their case in front of the World Motor Sport Council last week.

"We are ... not comfortable with any attempt to undermine the credibility of the decision of the WMSC by a misleading version of events portraying Ferrari as having had insufficient opportunity to present its case," Dennis writes.

"If Ferrari had wished to: submit more than 118 pages by way of written submission; ask more questions; or make longer oral submissions then it could have done so. It is therefore not a case of an insufficient opportunity but just dissatisfaction with the outcome."

Below is Dennis's full letter to Macaluso:

3 August 2007

Dear Mr Macaluso,

Thank you for your letter of 2nd August.

My purpose in writing to you was to put forward a true record of the facts, given that, in the period leading up to and since the WMSC hearing, McLaren's reputation has been attacked by a series of incorrect press reports from Italy and grossly misleading statements from Ferrari itself.

Your letter of 1st August which was published to the media continued this campaign and left me with no alternative other than to respond.

You mention that Ferrari did not have "sufficient opportunity to present to the Court or ask questions of key individuals". This is not correct.

Ferrari submitted a 118 page written submission which was sent to WMSC members on 20th July, prior to circulating the McLaren submission four days later and only two days before the hearing.

Ferrari had lawyers of its choosing present and were at no stage prevented from asking questions or making submissions. Indeed Ferrari did make submissions and ask questions of witnesses.

If the ICA choose to permit an appeal then we are confident that the unanimous decision of the WMSC will be upheld. We are, however, not comfortable with any attempt to undermine the credibility of the decision of the WMSC by a misleading version of events portraying Ferrari as having had insufficient opportunity to present its case.

If Ferrari had wished to: submit more than 118 pages by way of written submission; ask more questions; or make longer oral submissions then it could have done so. It is therefore not a case of an insufficient opportunity but just dissatisfaction with the outcome.

I did not intend to publish this letter but as I now find that your letter to me has been published I have no alternative other than to do this. I suggest that we now leave this process to the internal consideration of the FIA.

Yours sincerely,

Ron Dennis CBE
Chairman & CEO

Copy:
Mr M Mosley (President - FIA)
Mr J Todt (CEO - Ferrari SpA)