Nigel Stepney Proves It Is Possible To Be Half Pregnant.
Written by George Katinger · March 9, 2008
At least according to the FIA. In another controversial non decision decision, the FIA have issued a verdict as to their investigation and hearing of Nigel Stepney’s involvement into the “Great Ferrari-McLaren Espionage Case” of 2007.
“As a matter of good order, the FIA recommends to its licensees that they do not professionally collaborate with Mr. Stepney without conducting appropriate due diligence regarding his suitability for involvement in international motor sport.
“This recommendation stands until 1 July 2009.”
Not only does this “decision” not bring closure to the process, it prolongs the controversy in its ambiguity. It further opens the discussion to Stepney’s degree of participation and allows the further rehashing of the FIA’s severe punishment for a “crime” without knowing who all the criminals were. So the FIA in all its wisdom won’t publish a transcript of the proceedings, can’t sanction Stepney because he’s not a license holder, but in effect ban the lad from working in the sport for a year.
The entire process and result smacks of legal intervention to me. Due to the ongoing legal struggles it reads as if the FIA do not wish to make statements that can be used in a court action by any of the parties. Hence the non ban ban.
And according to Stepney himself, the FIA’s statement is inaccurate as to his “apology”:
Stepney denied the FIA’s statement, which said he had admitted to passing Ferrari secrets to McLaren employees and apologized for it.
“It’ll all come out in the book,” said Stepney, who plans to release his autobiography later this year.
This is one book that will be a must read!
autosport.com: Stepney critical of his handling by the FIA
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3 Responses to “Nigel Stepney Proves It Is Possible To Be Half Pregnant.”
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George your call on going legal action is most likely spot on. I don’t think we have heard the last of this saga & Nigel’s involvement as I’m convinced Ferrari will not stop until they have their pound of flesh, he was after all one of their own.
There is still that “strange” accusation of him spiking the fuel tanks with a mysterious white powder at Monte Carlo that was then allegedly found in his trousers. I honestly believe that once Ferrari found they had a rouge in their midst they were determined to derail him by hook or by crook.
Considering the penalty that McLaren copped, at this stage he has gotten off lightly, although it was doubtful that any F1 team would employ him again. Obviously a person is entitled to the presumption of innocence but he has done nothing to answer the allegations against him, other than to deny them & ask the public to buy his upcoming book. Coughlin maybe the only person who can clear the mystery of exactly who was involved, to what extent & when…….all very strange, perhaps we will never know the full story.
The thing that bothers me is that a half pregnant gardener can get some publishing company to print his lies. I hope nobody pays money to read this dribble. There should be laws against criminals making money from their criminal deeds. Now I hope Ferrari sues the pants off this half pregnant gardener and the publishing company gets the bill.
I can’t believe that all of Nigel’s denials are flat out lies. His last statement denies he gave Coughlan the 780 page dossier of Ferrari docs. FIA won’t publish the transcript and I doubt Nige would tell FIA one statement and tell the public a different story. If he admitted giving the documents to McLaren his ban would have been more than a recommendation to teams.
All of the story needs to come out as to who inside Ferrari gave McLaren the docs, if not our boy Nige. I would imagine Ferrari would want to know even more. And there may be good reason as to why Ferrari DON’T want the truth to come out.