Renault in new spy scandal!

[ben_watkins]

"Including, but not limited to the layout and critical dimensions of the McLaren F1 car, together with details of the McLaren fuelling system, gear assembly, oil cooling system, hydraulic control system and a novel suspension component used by the 2006 and 2007 McLaren F1 cars."

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx ... 7&PO=41257

and

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsp ... 085098.stm

I wander what will happen?!

[meves]

Does anyone have any idea what the novel suspension component is or was??

[Scuderia_Russ]

McLraen clearly have a cultre of cheating with information so freely going in and out of the organistaion with people in the team thinking it is accceptable. Where did spying get Renault though? Nowhere. They were particularly crap at times this year.

[axle]

McLraen clearly have a cultre of cheating with information so freely going in and out of the organistaion with people in the team thinking it is accceptable. Where did spying get Renault though? Nowhere. They were particularly crap at times this year.

Your point isn't correct IMO. How would McLaren's culture be anything to do with Renault having their information?

People go to other F1 teams all the time and take information, even if it's in their heads...

I think McLaren would have let this go if the Ferrari incident had have been kept behind doors....

[Militia Est Vita]

Where did spying get Renault though? Nowhere. They were particularly crap at times this year.

Well according to Mclaren

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/63853

Renult had information on the 2006 car, so I suspect, MP4-21, so they probably spied mostly on the wrong MP4. Where did the MP4-21 get McLaren? Nowhere

[onon]

should be interesting as no race till march.

[dumrick]

Where did the MP4-21 get McLaren?

To the MP4-22

In these days of evolutionary steps and whole-year around development, I'm sure that those two cars shared a lot. Anyway, I still don't believe there is some interest on knowing a competitor car in detail, if not for specific systems. The solutions choosen and its design are so inter-connected that only make sense in the context of the particular mathematical model of that single car.

[Matra]

Proof That the Renault Formula One Team Cheated!!!

...some may be fooled by the planted stories that Renault struggled to come to grips with the aerodynamics of the new Bridgestone tires...

We won't buy this cover-up.

Because, it is the RS27 itself which will sentence Renault to pay the FIA millions of francs.

After producing a R25 that won eight races, scored 18 podiums, and won Fernando Alonso his first driver's title, and the team a constructor's championship....

And after producing a R26 that won eight races, scored 20 podiums, won Fernando Alonso his second driver's title, and the team a second straight contructor's championship....

The Renault Formula One outdid McLaren themselves by using McLaren technology on the R27.

It is the silver arrow.. er bullet... so to speak.

In 2006, McLaren and their piece of crap MP4-21 missed winning a race for the first time since 1996. Heck, they even had 2007 Formula One driver's champion Kimi Raikkonen at the wheel...

And the damn thing still couldn't win, and nearly couldn't grab a Pole.

But it is clear that Renault not only seized upon the data in hand, but obviously used it in the R27, and nearly one-upped McLaren....

Not only did Renault not win a race for the first time since 2002, they nearly didn't grab a podium. It was only the rain gods at the Japanese Grand Prix that intervened and gifted Renault a podium finish.

So it's clear... Renault have obviously cheated in 2007, because suddenly their success of the past was erased, and their pace resembled the McLaren of 2006.

The case is closed.

Renault is guilty as charged.

[ben_watkins]

Copy of the full statement released from Renault today regarding the new spy allegations...


"Following the notification of the FIA for the ING Renault F1 Team representatives to appear in front of the World Council, the team wishes to clarify the situation.

On the 6th September 2007 it came to our attention that an engineer (Mr Phil Mackereth) who joined the team from McLaren in Sept 2006 had brought with him some information that was considered to be proprietary to McLaren. This information was contained on old style floppy discs and included copies of some McLaren engineering drawings and some technical spreadsheets. This information was loaded at the request of Mr Mackereth onto his personal directory on the Renault F1 Team file system. This was done without the knowledge of anyone in authority in the team. As soon as the situation was brought to the attention of the team's technical management, the following actions were taken:

• The information was completely cleansed from the team's computer systems and a formal investigation was started.

• We promptly informed McLaren of the situation and immediately after the FIA.

• Since then we have constantly and regularly kept McLaren and the FIA informed on all relevant findings.

• Mr Mackereth was immediately suspended from his position.

• The original floppy discs were impounded and sent to our solicitors for return to McLaren.

Our formal investigation showed that early in his employment with Renault Mr Mackereth made some of our engineers aware of parts of this information in the form of a few reduced scale engineering drawings. These drawings covered four basic systems as used by McLaren and were: the internal layout of the fuel tank, the basic layout of the gear clusters, a tuned mass damper and a suspension damper. Subsequent witness statements from the engineers involved have categorically stated that having been briefly shown these drawings, none of this information was used to influence design decisions relating to the Renault car. In the particular case of the tuned mass damper, these had already been deemed illegal by the FIA and therefore the drawing was of no value. The suspension damper drawing hinted that the McLaren design might be similarly considered illegal and a subsequent clarification from the FIA confirmed this based upon our crude interpretation of the concept.

ING Renault F1 Team have co-operated fully with McLaren and the FIA in this matter to the extent that the team has invited McLaren's independent experts to come and assess the team's computer systems and inspect the cars and the design records, to demonstrate that this unfortunate incident has not in anyway influenced the design of the cars.

ING Renault F1 Team have acted with complete transparency towards McLaren and the FIA, being proactive in solving this matter and we are fully confident in the judgment of the World Council. "

[timbo]

So... keeping the Renault response in mind (the terms of cooperation with FIA and McLaren is easily verifiable), who brought the sentenses to the courts? Is that FIA or Ron Dennis? Actually I HOPE it is not Ron Dennis, or I have to think the man is out of his mind ...

[dumrick]

Well, this is a carbon copy of the Stepneygate, the difference is that the information was not given away by an outside team, but actually stolen.

In my opinion, Renault understood that logic would make them liable of, at least, the same charges that McLaren was and disclosed all the matter by themselves, to try to gain a "simpathy bonus". The obvious question is: why only now?

[Militia Est Vita]

Well what really anoys me is to read that McLaren supposly never used the data and they suspended the guilty. Then Renault deleted the data and suspended the guitly. So now it turns out that everybody is straight and fair and correct about having information from rival teams. Come on, give me a break, I'm pretty sure they are always up for information about what is everybody doing, it is F1! and sureley they delete the info from the computers but not after giving a very close look at the data.

[Ciwai]

Well, this is a carbon copy of the Stepneygate, the difference is that the information was not given away by an outside team, but actually stolen.

In my opinion, Renault understood that logic would make them liable of, at least, the same charges that McLaren was and disclosed all the matter by themselves, to try to gain a "simpathy bonus". The obvious question is: why only now?

I believe renault didn't disclose it to the fia themselves. It was brought to attention as part of mclaren's defense--that its not unusual for rival teams to have others IP. In any case they appear to be fried: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/63878

[allan]

it would be funny if the 2006 results were changed: renault and alonso lose their points, and shumacher becomes the WC!!!!
it's a long shot, but im hoping and crossing fingers

[doorboot]

The FIA (Moseley) picked a rod to whip their own backs. This incident is so similar to the Stepneygate one that it will test the FIA resolve to be consistent in the way they treat teams. By imposing the excessive punishment on McLaren the FIA has created a precedent and they will have to stick to it if they do not want to lose credibility. If the same measure is used, in this case with regards to punishment, then Renault will be stripped of the 2006 constructors as well as be given an even bigger fine. Why a bigger fine? Well because Renault as a company then would have benefited commercially from "cheating".
Don't get me wrong, I think this is a really pathetic incident and struggle to see how Renault benefited from it, but then again I thought the same about the Stepneygate incident. Why did McLaren only now lodge this complaint? Well that is very obvious, their attitude is: Well if you screw us then let us see if you would screw others. If you do not then we may have a legal case against you and then maybe we can overturn the financial fine in a proper court of law. You being the FIA. Another reason for not lodging the complaint then is that McLaren is not a pathetic organization that thinks winning in court is as good as winning on track, or for the more cynically minded they had no reason to complain then because they were not in the running for anything in any case.
What I want to see now is that Moseley hits Renault the same way as McLaren. If he doesn’t then it will prove that he was biased against McLaren and it will finally prove that the man and the FIA are incompetent and that "hidden" agendas are prevalent in the sport.