Grapevine: Sauber, Ferrari deny Fontana claims

Fontana told Argentinean magazine Ole that he was ordered by Ferrari sporting director Jean Todt to hold up Villeneuve in the race if there was a chance. Fontana was driving for the Ferrari-powered Sauber team at the time.

"I was in the motorhome of Peter Sauber with the masseur and Johnny Herbert," Fontana was quoted as saying.

"It was two or three hours before the race and Jean Todt entered. He was very direct to the point: 'By strict order of Ferrari, it is necessary to block Villeneuve if he finds you on the track.'"

Fontana admitted that he did go on to hold up Villeneuve at one stage of the race, as television footage showed, but says he now regrets it.

"I covered Jacques for three or four corners, nothing more. And that harmed me. First of all Schumacher never thanked me for it, and Todt, as they lost the championship, left the pits and I never spoke to him again.

"Months later the situation finished my chances with Tyrrell. Craig Pollock, the manager and friend of Villeneuve, bought Tyrrell and besides the money that Ricardo Rosset put in for 1998, Pollock gave me the thumbs down for that manoeuvre. It's incredible, but it is history already. It is just an anecdote."

Ferrari have called Fontana's claims 'nonsense', while his former team boss Peter Sauber has said he was never aware of any order from Todt to block any of Ferrari's rivals.

"In nine years of collaboration with Ferrari, Jean Todt never asked of one of our drivers to obstruct a rival of Michael Schumacher on the track," he told Swiss newspaper Blick.