Stewart: FIA on witch-hunt

2007-09-12 15:53

London - Formula One's governing body FIA has been accused of conducting a witch-hunt against McLaren by former world champion Sir Jackie Stewart.

Stewart made the claim on the eve of Ron Dennis team's date before the World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Thursday in what will be the latest installment in the spygate saga that has rocked the sport this season.

"It seems some of the most powerful people (in F1) are more aligned to Ferrari than anybody else," the three time former world champion, told BBC Sport.

He added: "The FIA have historically been very close to Ferrari, closer to them than anyone else.

"There are more Ferrari representatives on the World Council than anybody else.

"I'm not saying that there hasn't been wrongdoing.

"But to start witch-hunting and trying to implicate a team principal (Dennis) to a level that is currently going on, I think is negative to the sport."

McLaren are accused by Ferrari of benefitting from information contained in a 780-page dossier leaked to their chief designer Mike Coughlan by the Italian teamn's sacked performance director Nigel Stepney.

Dennis has always denied the team capitalised in any way from the information contained in the dossier.

McLaren were found guilty of fraudulent conduct but escaped punishment due to insufficient evidence when the case was first heard in July, but risk being docked points or thrown out of the championship if found guilty second time around.

The FIA called Thursday's hearing after receiving copies of e-mail contact between Fernando Alonso and his fellow Spaniard, McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa.

Motorsport's rulers strongly rejected accusations of bias however, a spokesperson saying last week: "The suggestion that the FIA's ongoing investigation is about anything other than the pursuit of sporting fairness demonstrates a blinding refusal to accept the basic facts."

Ferrari concede the affair is bad for F1 but insist they are pursuing the case in the best interests of F1.

Ferrari boss Jean Todt, speaking at Monza at the weekend, said: "It's a taint on the sport. I think that we are sorry that it is happening in Formula One, but we are in the position where we want the truth to appear.

"And that's all that we want, and all that we have been working on and doing, and we are confident that the truth will come through."

McLaren's championship leader, British rookie Lewis Hamilton, has warned that his dream of lifting the title could be wrecked by the scandal.

"If you sit down and think about it, I could have what I've worked for - and what all the team have worked for - we could have it taken away from us."

"It was just going so well and then you just get this big knife that cuts off your blood line," he added.

Hamilton, second to Alonso in Sunday's Italian Grand Prix, leads the drivers' title race by three points from his Spanish teammate.

- AFP