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First came the powder, with an attempted sabotage on the eve of the Monaco Grand Prix, now the actual theft of valuable technical information relating to the design department. Ferrari knows no peace: on Tuesday, July 3, 2007, it publicly announced that it had filed a second complaint with the Modena Public Prosecutor's Office against Nigel Stepney, its former employee (who has just been fired). The second round is more serious than the first because it also involves a leading member of McLaren, Mike Coughlan, the British team's chief designer, one of the technicians called upon to create the car that goes on the track. According to the indictment, Coughlan (whom McLaren immediately suspended, pending full clarity on the matter) received a package from Stepney in late April containing information of technical nature. Not just a couple of details, Maranello men report, but a large amount of data concerning the 2007 car, the Ferrari that, driven by Massa and Räikkönen, is leaving its mark on the current World Championship. Important material, clearly confidential, monumental to the point of pushing the team to speak of a serious loss, with the aggravating factor - this suspicion also creeps in among Ferrari executives - that this valuable asset has been offered to other teams as well (though there is no evidence of this). This is a serious matter because, in addition to increasing the charges against Nigel Stepney, it sets up the hypothesis of actual espionage. Officially, Ferrari is only sticking to its own judicial initiatives; legal action has also been taken in England and it seems that the search carried out at Mike Coughlan's home was successful, with some of the material under investigation being found, but it is not surprising that the Maranello team is now also suspicious about McLaren's sudden surge in performance over the past two months. Ferrari is in shock and feels defrauded. That is why it has already made it known through its website that it will go all the way to the end, to obtain full satisfaction on the criminal and civil levels. At first glance McLaren also seems stunned by this ugly story, immediately declaring itself completely uninvolved in what happened, through an official note.
"McLaren was made aware on July 3, 2007, that a technical manager in its organization is at the center of an investigation related to the receipt of technical information. The team has learned that this individual personally received technical information from a Ferrari employee in late April. McLaren, which has absolutely no involvement in the matter and condemns such actions, will cooperate with any investigation. The individual in question has been suspended pending a thorough investigation".
The name of the technician is not disclosed (but it is Mike Coughlan), nor that of the sender (Stepney, Ferrari with its exposés has no doubts), nor are any further details given, only the declaration of one's innocence and willingness to cooperate. However, the fact remains that these documents arrived at the end of April, and who knows if some valuable information had not reached the right places even earlier, resulting in McLaren being able to copy Ferrari's ideas. This is precisely why it is a foregone conclusion that the FIA will also intervene soon. On Tuesday, July 3, 2007, one of its spokesmen lets it be known that the Federation is aware of the whole affair and is considering what action to take. It is likely that an investigation will be opened on the sporting side as well, parallel to the criminal one. The war between Ferrari and McLaren therefore shows no sign of abating. It is particularly fiery on-track this year and now risks experiencing another rather heated front in the courtrooms, not with brief pit stops but rather lengthy arguments by lawyers, called upon to prove that spies and saboteurs were just a bad dream. Lewis Hamilton's dream is in danger of being swept away by the cyclone that is bearing down on McLaren. The espionage scandal is only in its infancy and it is difficult to predict its consequences, but the spotlight of the Formula 1 circus has already shifted from the wunderkind leading the World Championship to the much grayer Mike Coughlan. The latter, McLaren's chief designer, is the main suspect in the industrial espionage case against Ferrari. British police questioned him to learn all about the secret information he allegedly obtained from Maranello in late April. The Englishman's position is made all the more suspicious by his friendship with Nigel Stepney, the main accused of sabotaging Ferrari with an unidentified powder. Stepney and Coughlan have been friends for years and worked together at Benetton in the early 1990s and at Ferrari until 1996. For its part, the Federation lets it be known that the investigation will not be involved in the legal aspects of the affair and focus only on the requirements of the International Sporting Code and F1 regulations. This is good news for the British, should they be found guilty.
As a matter of fact, there are very heavy penalties for industrial espionage. More than 700 pages made up the dossier delivered by Nigel Stepney, fired by Ferrari, to his friend Mike Coughlan, McLaren's chief designer, who was suspended from the British team after the Maranello team's furious accusations and the storm that hit Ron Dennis's team. In this lengthy dossier, found at Coughlan's home by British police after a search, is the entire design history of the F2007, the car driven by Raikkonnen and Massa which is leaving its mark on the current World Championship. A myriad of other secrets are in the dossier: regarding the car, McLaren's on-track rival, but also about Ferrari's way of working, developing the engine, studying aerodynamic insights, and making the tires work. A veritable wealth of data and knowledge, passed, according to the prosecution and the complaints filed with the Modena Prosecutor's Office, into the enemy’s hands.
"An affair of unprecedented gravity".
Montezemolo has few, but deliberately strong words, to underline his indignation and that of the whole team, shocked by what has happened, and more determined than ever to go all the way to the end to shed full light on this murky affair. Ferrari feels defrauded. But the FIA also has no intention of standing idly by, and on Wednesday, July 4, 2007, as expected, it decides to open an investigation. The FIA makes it clear that this will be only a sporting proceeding, but it is not satisfied with McLaren's declaration of innocence. Through a second official statement, the British team continues to reiterate its total extraneousness to the disputed facts and its absolute transparency.
"We invite the Federation to carefully exanimate our cars, they will realize that they are not copied. Nothing in the dossier delivered to our employee was used, no material owned by Ferrari was used to develop our single-seaters, no documents were passed to some other man in the team".
The heartfelt defense is not enough, however, to curb the case even at the sporting level. By now war has broken out, suspicions and poisons have descended on the current World Championship, this affair is likely to have heavy repercussions at all levels. On the criminal level, it will be the investigations that will ascertain responsibility, but McLaren is also at great risk on the sporting level. If it were proven guilty, the FIA could decide to exclude it from the World Championship. A ruling that would pave the way for Ferrari to take the title and could have heavy repercussions on the British team: at the official level, as is normal, the FIA makes no comment, but reliable rumors let it be known that McLaren's men would be free should the team be disqualified. This includes the two drivers, the highly sought-after Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, thrown onto the market with the possibility of offering themselves to the highest bidder. For McLaren, such an outcome would be a catastrophe. In the meantime, however, it is first and foremost urgent to defend oneself against the heavy accusations, the leaked links between Nigel Stepney and Mike Coughlan, technicians who had worked together in the 1980s at Lotus and in the 1990s at Benetton and Ferrari itself. They never denied that they were friends, and this relationship could now increase suspicion. A murky affair that is sure to be the topic du jour even at Silverstone, England, the home of McLaren, where the ninth Grand Prix of the season will be run on Sunday, July 8, 2007. Ferrari, after its triumph in Magny Cours, was looking to repeat its success, while McLaren assured redemption. A simple on-track battle was expected. Instead, there is venom everywhere for the most fiery weekend of the year. Is this spy story against Ferrari also a blow to the Maranello team's security systems? Antonio Ghini, Ferrari's communications director, rejects such a consideration.
"No system was circumvented; there was willful intent. It's like when someone entrusts you with the keys to the house and you make a different use of them".
Yes, but papers and blueprints ended up at McLaren. Could the British benefit from this?
"It's not for us to say, it's obvious. There are magistrates, there is the FIA investigation. No judgment now. I can say, however, that IT security is very high in this company".
But could this cause damage to Ferrari or not?
"We make technology an advanced point in our research. We have absolutely valuable engineers and technicians who work on a car for years to create innovations that will also benefit the product that goes on the road. What has happened is a very serious matter because projects on products and industrial development have been violated: something that goes beyond competition on the track and affects the very life of the company".
This is not the first time the Italian team has been spied on.
"Yes, there was another case recently and with another team, which was resolved in our favor through the courts. These things are part of the risks of the whole industrial world".
Don't tell me you think this is normal?
"Absolutely not. It attracts attention, however, because it involves the world of sports, which one would like to be immune from such things".
But you hadn’t understood anything about Stepney, one of your best technicians?
"You can’t expect me to answer you. The lawyers will take care of that. All I'm saying is that some things can be learned...".
Perhaps you relied too heavily on a code of honor which is difficult to live by in a highly technologized world?
"I have been thinking these days about when Ascari won two consecutive world championships with the same car. Today, on the other hand, each race has its own specificity, the car is continuously adapted, according to the circuit. There is transversal work of an entire team exchanging information and developing a car. All this is regulated by a code of ethics that we all have to adhere to".
The British Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday, July 8, 2007, and Felipe Massa makes no secret of his ambitions:
"We will have to watch out for McLaren, but we will start ahead after the one-two at Magny Cours. By the way, I really like this English circuit because it is a fast track and it particularly suits my driving style".
And then:
"It is a good track, one of the most challenging on the calendar, with very fast corners. I just hope there will not be too much traffic as I experienced on Sunday in Magny Cours".
On Friday, July 6, 2007, the British Grand Prix starts well for Ferrari, which annihilates its competition: Kimi Räikkönen sets a resounding time of 1'20"639 and Massa defends himself by setting a time of 1'21"138. Third time for Ralf Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, both setting a time of 1'21"381. Fifth is Jarno Trulli, 1'21"467, ahead of the World Champion, Fernando Alonso, who laps in 1'21"616.
"I am very satisfied with my performance, we did many consecutive laps thinking about the race, the car is consistent".
Felipe Massa explains, later admitting:
"I was not able to make the most of the time available, due to a problem with the soft tires".
Much will obviously depend, however, on the set-up and tuning that the teams will be able to find for the race. Friday's practice clearly pointed to Ferrari as the team in the best shape. Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa were the fastest in the afternoon session (1' 20"639 for the Finn). The two McLarens were behind: fourth Lewis Hamilton (first in the morning), sixth Fernando Alonso. It was precisely the latter who was the most cautious in the eve statements:
"We are competitive, the car is working, and I hope we will have a strong weekend".
While Lewis Hamilton (whose presence brought back highway queues, which hadn’t happened in years) promoted himself, despite an off-track in the first free practice session:
"It wasn't bad, and I don't know how much fuel the others had, I expect to be fast".
Satisfaction is present in the Ferrari pits. Kimi Räikkönen states:
"A positive day".
The Finn agrees with everyone about the harshness of the weather conditions:
"The wind made life difficult for us".
Felipe Massa is happy that he did not run into any negative surprises:
"The car is behaving as it did in testing two weeks ago, which can only make me happy".
In fact, the approach to this Grand Prix was thought of a little differently by Ferrari's strategists. Luca Baldisseri explains:
"We decided to accumulate more kilometers. We collected data, as the track conditions are different from a fortnight ago: there is less grip, gusty winds that are annoying. The information gathered will allow us to improve the car's adjustments".
The enthusiasm is there, but no one is already celebrating:
"Another one-two? Maybe. But Friday leaves so many unknowns. We have to wait".
Concludes Kimi Räikkönen who, like Felipe Massa, glosses over the spy story:
"We drive".
But the twist of the day comes from Honda. In a statement, the Japanese team says it has received Ferrari's technician Nigel Stepney and McLaren's technician Mike Coughlan: both wanted to offer themselves to the team.
"At the beginning of the year Nigel Stepney, formerly of Ferrari, requested a meeting with Nick Fry, general manager of the Honda Racing F1 Team. Stepney later met with Fry in June and brought along Mike Coughlan from McLaren to investigate possible job opportunities within Honda. We want to emphasize that at no time during this meeting was any confidential information offered or received. Nick Fry informed Jean Todt and Ron Dennis of the meeting and offered to provide any information requested by Ferrari and McLaren".
That's all the talk at Silverstone. Mike Coughlan, McLaren's chief designer, however, is the main suspect in the industrial espionage case against Ferrari. British police are questioning him to learn all about the secret information he allegedly obtained from Maranello in late April. The Englishman's position is made even more suspicious by his friendship with Nigel Stepney, the main accused of sabotaging the Maranello cars with an unidentified powder. Strategies and aerodynamic packages are out of the question. At Silverstone there are the first free practice sessions, on Sunday there is an important Grand Prix for the World Championship (particularly awaited by the British who see Lewis Hamilton as the new champion), but in the motorsport world there is talk of one and only one topic: the Stepney-Coughlan dossier. No one is immune from the 2007 spy story (the ending of which is yet to be written), and McLaren is beginning to understand the toll it will have to pay.
"We come from two, three difficult days. Especially for me".
Admits Ron Dennis, the team principal, who would surely have chosen quite different words, to inaugurate the team's new mega paddock facility.
"My reputation, my moral integrity, is important to me. And my team’s even more so. I say that the press has not said everything, and so I want you to know that we are in a situation that is evolving and that we are working closely with the FIA and with Ferrari".
As a finale, he is then moved and sheds a few tears:
"I live and breathe this team. There is nothing improper that could have happened here with us".
The message has been sent, doubts remain. And being cooperative, for McLaren, may also be futile.
"I imagine there may be possible penalties in the constructors' standings, but not on the drivers' standings".
Hypothesizes Bernie Ecclestone, who does not speak in vain, although he is then keen to remind that, in this case, all possible caution must be used.
"We have to ascertain whether that information was then used and, even if it was, how it improved the McLarens’ performance".
The drivers, namely Alonso and Hamilton, are certainly untouched by the dispute:
"They have nothing to do with it, they get in the car and do their job".
And it is precisely the British team’s two drivers who are asked for their opinion on the matter but, Hamilton defends his team, saying:
"For me nothing changes, on the contrary. I would like to stay in this team for life. I grew up here, I couldn't see myself anywhere else. I'm not in F1 for the money. Of course, everything can change and I don't even know how long I will stay in F1".
The same is not true for Fernando Alonso, who limits himself to a no comment, once again leaving more room for all the rumors that want him in a separated-but-living-together situation. Not only that, a potential McLaren guilty plea could help him release himself from a contract that is currently capricious, leaving him free to settle elsewhere. On the purely judicial front, there is some news: a new search of Nigel Stepney's home in Stella di Serramazzoni (in the Modena Apennines) was carried out on Thursday afternoon by the postal police in the presence of one of the lawyers. And the Maranello team makes a clarification-reconstruction regarding the acquisition of the 780-page dossier found in England at Mike Coughlan's home: it was not Scotland Yard, who so far have not been involved in the case, but rather a private detective authorized by the London High Court (which preferred not to involve official law enforcement agencies). The detective entered the McLaren designer's home after receiving an urgent request from the Maranello team on Monday: a private initiative, impossible in Italy but permitted by the Anglo-Saxon code. Finally, the FIA sports investigation could receive a copy of the stolen dossier this week, but there is no certainty regarding the timing and some say the ruling could come even after the championship is over. Meanwhile, as mentioned, the scene of the crime is expanding: it is no longer a two-team affair, McLaren versus Ferrari, but three. Honda is also officially implicated in the 2007 sports espionage case, the scenarios of which are becoming increasingly unpredictable. The 780 pages stolen from Maranello by Nigel Stepney, handed over in Spain (Barcelona, Sunday, April 29, 2007, on the eve of a week of testing) to Mike Coughlan, then copied in England and finally seized by order of the High Court in London, are likely to become the real best seller of this summer. The script has numerous twists and turns: no one would have expected another team’s involvement, confirmed late in the afternoon by the Japanese team itself after rumors started spreading uncontrollably:
"At the beginning of the season Stepney asked for a meeting with our team boss, Nick Fry. He was received in June, and brought Mike Coughlan with him: the possibility of working at Honda was discussed. Fry then informed Jean Todt and Ron Dennis of the meeting".
All cleared up? Not at all, given Ferrari's reply.
"Yes, we were informed. But today, Friday morning. During a teams meeting, already scheduled on the calendar. And it's July".
And the Maranello team's pointed statement does not end there, although it is directed at someone in particular:
"We would have many things to say, but we cannot at this time out of respect for the ongoing investigations in Italy and England, as well as the FIA sporting one".
The future holds interesting things. Also because Ron Dennis firmly reiterates the team's innocence:
"Although I cannot control everything and everyone".
The British manager also made a very promising announcement:
"In the next forty-eight hours all the information available to people will be given, and the hidden motives - and lies - of these people and their actions will be understood".
The FIA is currently silent: its experts are studying the documents stolen from Ferrari, so at the moment Max Mosley has not yet intervened. But Ron Dennis explains:
"But he was immediately informed by me. After I got the news, my first phone call was to Todt, the second to Mosley. You see, McLaren's reputation has been challenged here. And we, correctly, will respond".
Finally Dennis confirms the morning meeting with the teams. There is still surprise in the paddock, even more so after Honda's involvement. Flavio Briatore makes it clear:
"A bad affair. A sad and very serious story. For those who materially carried it out, and for those who were the instigators".
He then raises some questions:
"We, at Renault, have a security system that is activated as soon as someone oversteps their role. Clearly, everyone takes something away when hired by another team. But one thing is a page, another thing is a book. How this was possible I just don't know".
While waiting for answers, and rulings, people are going crazy with interpretations and reconstructions. Like the one, for example, that states that McLaren's technical director, Jonathan Neale, knew about the whole thing and then ordered the destruction of the pages. Or, that Stepney and Coughlan's original idea was to try to settle down together elsewhere, away from Ferrari and McLaren, with something in their pockets that would provide them - for the future - with job certainty, plans and data from Ferrari. A version that would effectively save the teams, both McLaren and Honda, which have emphatically denied receiving any offers of information. It is clear that some pieces are still missing for the puzzle to be completed (and understood), but the protagonists swear that it is only a matter of hours. In the meantime, Felipe Massa is quiet:
"On the spying I have nothing to say, I'm here to race, that's my job. The mood of the team has not been affected by the affair at all, and our goal is victory".
The Brazilian is third in the championship standings, 17 points behind Lewis Hamilton. Speaking instead of the drivers' market, David Coulthard will also race for Red Bull Racing in the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship: the Scottish driver has extended the deal expiring at the end of the season by one season, and will team up with Mark Webber again. Coulthard is now something of an F1 icon, as he has competed in 219 Grands Prix (he is currently 12th in the overall standings, with 4 points) and has no intention of giving up racing.
Scuderia Toro Rosso owner Dietrich Mateschitz, for his part, denies that his team is interested in German driver Ralf Schumacher for next season.
"There has been no meeting with Ralf Schumacher. He is a good driver who is going through a difficult time, but that has nothing to do with us".
The funniest matter of the day, in any case, was Red Bull Racing's idea: racecars on track decorated with the faces of thousands of racing fans: more than 30.000 photographs were downloaded, integrated and reproduced on the liveries of David Coulthard and Mark Webber's single-seaters, at the same time enabling the company to raise more than $1 million for the Wings for Life foundation. Since Red Bull Racing's Faces for Charity project was launched at the Monaco Grand Prix, fans from around the world have visited Red Bull's F1 website, sending in their portrait photographs to be reproduced on the cars and donating a small sum to benefit Wings for Life, a foundation whose goal is to help treat back and spinal injuries. Inside the paddock, a particular proposal gains traction, one for a completely different weekend compared to what we see today, with a first Grand Prix on Saturday, a second on Sunday. Qualifying? Friday. And the times? Anticipated, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. And again: Sunday starts with a reverse grid. Finally: tire-only pit stops, no refueling and a maximum of a dozen mechanics. This is how the upcoming F1 could be, at least according to Flavio Briatore.
"But it is not just my point of view, and mine is only meant to be a contribution to improve the Circus".
Teams are pressured by sponsors and by companies demanding more spectacle.
"Grands Prix here are already finished at the start, instead unpredictability must be created".
That is why the Renault boss believes that things will have to change.
"I see that even Todt is beginning to approach this way of looking at things. Two one-hour Grands Prix, all done by noon, and the fans will have fun and then they can also enjoy the rest of the day".
But in the paddock behind the pits, McLaren's new motorhome can also be seen. Thirteen and a half meters high, twenty people and two days total to assemble it. Twenty office-rooms with wi-fi for marketing and media, two (strictly separate) rooms for the two drivers, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. It is McLaren-Mercedes' new motorhome, built in Baden-Baden, Germany. In his inaugural speech, Ron Dennis says:
"Don't ask us how much it costs, let's just say our two companies could afford it, with a $500 million revenue".
Great legitimate pride, but also an unintentional gaffe: among the wines offered was an Australian Sauvignon, from Spy Valley... Meanwhile, in Italy, the investigation involving the S-factor is proceeding. That’s what the investigators solving the reddest case of the summer, the spy story that has disrupted the Formula 1 routine, call it. The S in S-factor is to be understood, literally, as sfortuna, meaning bad luck in Italian. Yes. Because it takes a lot of bad luck to walk into a London IT store and be confronted, in an unsuspected white coat and a desk-mouse manner, by a Ferrari fan. It takes a lot of bad luck, especially if you are a McLaren technician and you are stealing the new Ferrari’s blueprints, provided by a colleague in Maranello.
Then, because bad luck always finishes the jobs it starts, the fan in question also happens to be a somewhat self-righteous individual, vaguely prone to conspiracy theories and suspicion. Thus begin the misfortunes of Nigel Stepney and Mike Coughlan. On a gray day two weeks ago, when Trudy, the McLaren technician's wife is asked by her husband to go to a computer lab to digitize a 780-file deck. Upon receiving the assignment, leafing through the bible of unambiguous drawings, the little man in the IT lab is excited. He has found a new client, and what a client. But then something makes him suspicious. And in particular a passage from the conversation with that woman. The little man asks her, probably ready to get an autograph:
"Excuse me, does your husband work at Ferrari?"
And Trudi replies:
"No. He used to work there, though".
The little man replies:
"Then why does he have such material at his disposal if he is no longer employed?"
The woman leaves the store and he gets to work. First he puts the bundle in the scanner (he will make two copies: he will give one to Ms. Coughlan, the other he will keep for himself, just in case). Then he turns on his PC and opens Google, starting his own little investigation. He enters Mike Coughlan and Nigel Stepney’s names, discovers their identities, their resumes, and figures it all out. The next step is an email report to Maranello.
"Sorry to bother you, I am a passionate Ferrari fan. While making copies my eye fell on a Ferrari".
Also attached is his small, effective investigation. Within a few days a search uncovered prohibited material at Mike Coughlan's house. Immediately afterwards, a complaint landed on the desk of the Modena Public Prosecutor, Fabio Tibis, who ordered Nigel Stepney to be searched. Now the results of the two raids will be compared. Should the documents seized from the two be a copy of each other, then the formal accusation of industrial espionage, already hypothesised in England, would also take shape in Italy. While waiting to see what will happen, Ferrari's top management is thinking about how to pay back the fan who may have saved their season. On Saturday 7 July 2007, Fernando Alonso sets the best time during the first qualifying session. The Spaniard beats Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa. Qualifying is interrupted shortly before the end of Q1 due to an accident involving Anthony Davidson, who, in an attempt to warm up his tyres, goes off track and hits the crash barriers. This episode also forces Takuma Sato and Jenson Button to slow down during their flying laps, effectively preventing them from improving on their previous performances and forcing them into elimination. Nico Rosberg is also eliminated in Q1 due to an engine problem. Fernando Alonso again sets the fastest time in Q2, followed by Ferrari drivers Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa, and his teammate Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull Racing drivers David Coulthard and Mark Webber are eliminated, along with Alexander Wurz, Rubens Barrichello and the two Scuderia Toro Rosso drivers, Scotto Speed and Vitantonio Liuzzi. In Q3, the two McLaren drivers are the first to hit the track, and initially Fernando Alonso is fastest once again. After the first series of stops it looks as if the Spaniard could take pole position, but in the final series of laps Lewis Hamilton manages to set the fastest time. The Spaniard is also overtaken by Kimi Räikkönen. Lewis Hamilton rejoices as if he had won: the British driver takes pole position in front of his home crowd and beats Kimi Räikkönen, who set an excellent last lap but made a small mistake coming out of a corner, by just a tenth of a second.
The British driver, who is leading the World Championship standings, thanks the crowd:
"I am really very happy, I cheered with them. The Ferraris were very fast today, as was my team-mate Fernando. I tried until the last lap to maintain control, stability. Then I stopped for the tyres and guessed the right moment".
One mistake in a corner and Kimi Räikkönen’s pole position evaporates in the Grand Prix of suspicions and spies. Lewis Hamilton (third pole of the year) and the British are thankful, but the Finn's mistake now makes Ferrari's race a little more complicated.
"I can't hide my disappointment. I ended up partially on the grass and lost traction, which cost me a lot, too much time".
Behind Kimi Räikkönen is Fernando Alonso. Felipe Massa, normally very fast, is fourth.
"I experienced understeer at turn seven, so I lost more than a tenth. I could have been in the fight. The important thing is that I was competitive".
But Kimi Räikkönen says with conviction:
"Now: there is no point in thinking too much about qualifying, what is done is done and you cannot change it anymore. Now we just have to concentrate on the race. It is clear that starting on the dirtiest side of the track is not an advantage, but we know we have a good pace over the distance. A lot will depend on the start and the strategies chosen by the teams. Nothing is precluded for us".
Lewis Hamilton's other rival, Fernando Alonso, is cautiously optimistic.
"New ideas for the set-up, which worked, came from my engineers. The car is going well, so I don't see why I shouldn't think positively".
The two McLarens, and the two Ferraris, will be one behind the other. However, the Spanish champion rules out a crazy start:
"I intend to finish the Grand Prix".
At Magny Cours we witnessed Kimi Räikkönen overtaking Lewis Hamilton at the start. But on Sunday strategy will decide the fate of the Grand Prix, as Felipe Massa explains:
"We are competitive. We are at a strong level. The pace of the car is good and I have a good strategy for the race. It's not good to start fourth but it's not a disaster either".
The Brazilian also offers a possible interpretation of the behaviour of the two McLaren drivers:
"Alonso, in the first two qualifying sessions, was always faster than Hamilton. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a reasonable strategy and instead Hamilton was more aggressive, and that's understandable because he's at home and he's first in the championship. He is the one who risks the most".
But Ferrari cannot make a mistake either, as Jean Todt further reminds us:
"It is a fundamental race, for both championships".
Luca Baldisseri, the chief engineer, reassures the manager:
"Although qualifying was decided at the last minute, the race is very open: we have a very fast car, especially over the distance, and that leaves us confident for the final outcome".
On Sunday 8 July 2007, after the reconnaissance lap, Felipe Massa switches the car off while on the grid and has to start from the pits, while the rest of the group completes another warm-up lap. At the second start of the British Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton holds the first position, followed by Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso. Robert Kubica is fourth, followed in turn by Heikki Kovalainen and Giancarlo Fisichella, who passes Nick Heidfeld at Stowe corner. The first two laps are animated by Felipe Massa's comeback, who climbs up to ninth place after overtaking Jarno Trulli on lap 11. Up front, Lewis Hamilton can't get away and, having less fuel, his fate seems sealed. On lap 16 the Englishman is in fact the first to stop, a couple of laps earlier than Kimi Räikkönen. Fernando Alonso stops on lap 20, taking on less fuel than the Finn and taking the lead. After the first series of refuels, Felipe Massa is seventh, behind Giancarlo Fisichella, while Nick Heidfeld is now fifth, behind Robert Kubica. Fernando Alonso pushes hard and manages to create a margin of over five seconds over Kimi Räikkönen when he comes in for his second stop on lap 37. Lewis Hamilton has no pace but the margin over Robert Kubica secures the podium. Kimi Räikkönen stops six laps later than the Spanish McLaren driver and, with a series of fast laps, manages to climb into first place. Felipe Massa, after his stop, climbs to fifth place, then recovers to catch up with Robert Kubica, but fails to overtake him. Kimi Räikkönen wins the British Grand Prix, and obtains his second consecutive triumph, confirming Ferrari's newfound strength. Fernando Alonso beats Lewis Hamilton, and is reassured after the many humiliations received by his team-mate, who, despite a bad day, conquered the ninth podium in his first nine races in Formula 1. Robert Kubica is fourth, followed by Felipe Massa, Nick Heidfeld and the two Renaults of Heikki Kovalainen and Giancarlo Fisichella. At the halfway mark, the World Championship has been reopened. Ferrari celebrates the 750th Grand Prix in its history with Kimi Räikkönen's victory, and attacks McLaren on all fronts, on-track (18 points behind) and in court, where on Monday 9 July 2007, in London, it will attend the first hearing of the High Court in the Stepney case (the dossier stolen and sent to Coughlan). Ferrari would also have to complain about Felipe Massa’s fifth place: the driver was forced to start from the pits due to an engine failure just moments before the start, but his is a show ride, having overtaken eighteen drivers.
"I honestly don't know why the problem occurred. After the car arrived in the pits it started".
The Brazilian acquits himself:
"I did my job, I think I did a fantastic race. I'm not angry, that's the way sports are. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn't. The positive side is the compliments, the negative is that I lost points. But that's life".
Felipe Massa knew he would never see the lead of the race:
"When you start last you can't expect to get on the podium. Maybe, with a safety car in the middle of the race... no, the important thing is that the car remains competitive".
This Silverstone race will go down in history as the race of the choked scream, stuck in the throats of the 85.000 fans present at Silverstone, who were just waiting for the Hamilton Mania moment to explode and to celebrate all week. Instead, there was no pride, and the McLaren driver - despite finishing on the podium for the ninth consecutive time - also had to take another blow, from his own team-mate, Fernando Alonso, who got to the finish line before him and took two points from him in the standings. A nice breath of fresh air for the World Champion Spaniard, who finally managed to reverse the negative trend on the terrible rookie: he is now just twelve points off. There were no twists and turns on the circuit, no spectacular overtaking and, fortunately, not even blatant incidents: the only surprise occurred before the start, with poor Felipe Massa raising his hand to call the marshals' attention. Then, at the start, the drivers were careful not to commit any blunders, Lewis Hamilton prevented Kimi Räikkönen from mocking him again with a zigzag maneuver and the Grand Prix was characterized by pit stops. In fact, Kimi Räikkönen tried to overtake the young Englishman on track: it was lap 14, but Lewis Hamilton closed the trajectory and so the Finn had to be patient enough to wait for the first pit stop of the British racer (who also made a mistake, impatient to restart) and then, on his own, five laps later, he came out in front of him. However, the Finn's operation was yet to be completed, as Fernando Alonso managed to keep the lead. Nothing much happened, until the decisive moment on lap 43: Kimi Räikkönen's second refueling. The Finn, thanks also to a lead that had risen to 26 seconds and some, came out of the pits ahead of the Spaniard and took his third win of the year, overtaking Felipe Massa in the standings.
"Well, it doesn't change anything, there was a moment when I had almost a ten-point lead".
On the podium, Kimi Räikkönen’s rebellious tuft of hair pointing up makes him look more and more like Tintin, from Hergé's magical comic strips. But he reminded others, such as President Montezemolo for example, of someone else, an illustrious character who, at Ferrari, will always bring back sweet memories:
"Kimi showed me five exceptional laps, worthy of the best Schumacher".
The Finn cashes in with his now unmistakable style, that aplomb and low profile that make even the most astute businessmen envious. With the French-English one-two, Räikkönen has given his own ranking a boost, reacting with facts to his toughest period at Ferrari and to those who were beginning to question his skills. He is now the number one driver (albeit by one point), and the race to win the World Championship for him looks increasingly promising. He has reopened the World Championship, then.
"I want to hope so, but who knows? It will be a long season. But we always said that, before it even started. But now I'm happy, the car has been perfect and everything went well this week".
Just that?
"We seem to have good speed now, the guys worked well on the pit stops as well as the rest. Perfect".
There was that mistake on Saturday, in qualifying.
"Yeah. I was disappointed about that. I was very disappointed, I'm not saying I could have compromised the race, but make it more complicated, yes".
And instead?
"We knew we could do play with the refueling. Alonso's first pit stop was short, clearly the second one should have been longer".
And Hamilton?
"Well, at the beginning I tried to save petrol. Always for the same reason. I would have needed it when I had to push on the accelerator".
But Räikkönen did try to overtake, on lap 14.
"Yes, but he squeezed me. We were at Copse, Hamilton had slowed down and I tried, but we almost touched. So we decided not to take any more risks, and in fact after the first refueling I overtook him".
OK, but what do these two wins mean?
"They are important, of course. We took points, we needed them. I repeat, the car is going well and the situation is better than at the start".
Turning point of the World Championship and turning point for you too.
"Yes, but I only think about one thing".
Say it.
"Push. Always and more. Now everything seems to be easier to do, to change things in the car more easily, and that's no small thing. Ah, but I also think of another thing".
He continues.
"Improving. Pushing and improving".
Now the second part of the season begins. Doesn't it remind you of 2005 and the duel against Alonso?
"I think they are two different stories. Completely different: rules, tyres, cars. I say every race is different".
So a little look at the recent past: what do you think of this first part of the World Championship?
"Honestly I would have liked to be in a better position in the standings, but I also expected to have some difficulties. But now we are going in the right direction. And so maybe we can have a strong finish to the season".
Another thing: you overtook Felipe Massa.
"I always want to be in front. I don't race against my team-mate, that would not be the right thing to do".
And what is the right thing to do?
"Trying to improve, analysing the data to win. This, for me, is a perfect day".
The 85.000 fans present at Silverstone remain seated in the stands, they do not abandon the rusty racetrack nor their champion. Lewis Hamilton lost, and for him, a rookie in Formula 1, losing means finishing in third, losing is to stand on the ninth podium for nine races in a row. But his crowd, who wanted a triumph here, who choked back the scream in their throats, does not get up. They want to hear the champion's words broadcast live to the world, and transmitted on a big screen at Silverstone. When the talented young driver from Hertfordshire thanks the fans, fans who have chosen him as the country's new hero this weekend, almost ignoring a towering David Beckham in the paddock, the applause from the circuit is louder than the words:
"Next year, here, I win".
Lewis Hamilton thrills the British, firing up their patriotic pride.
"I made two mistakes in this race, the car set-up is my fault and then the first pit stop".
You lost there.
"I saw the sign move, I disconnected the clutch when I was still in the middle of refueling. I stalled the car, wasted seconds".
Why that mistake, why? Lewis, almost upset, says:
"It was the first mistake of the season. Or better, the only one you saw. I got nine podiums in a row, maybe no one else managed that in their first year".
What do you want from a rookie? The problem is that his team, the McLaren squadron that swallowed up the first part of the season, has been defeated for two Grands Prix. The stories regarding material and intellectual theft have transferred the pressure that was all over Ferrari at the start of the season to Ron Dennis. And if the tough Woking boss has tears in eyes because he fears disqualification and the suspicion of being considered the instigator of the two British cheats, it means that the serenity at the hospitality is no longer there. In turn, the drivers’ peace of mind cracks.
"I only talk about racing, and I want to say that this weekend, my first time at home, was tremendous. The people, the weather, the pole position on Saturday. In the race I wore out the tyres too quickly, then there was the mistake at the pit stop and the loss of balance in the car".
Yeah, this time the phenomenon was 40 seconds from the first.
"And if Massa's engine didn't go out I would have finished fourth".
Lewis Hamilton, two wins, four times P2, three times P3, remains by far the leader of the World Championship. He has 70 points. His hostile teammate, Fernando Alonso, has come a little closer, just slightly. Closer, however, and causing worry, is Kimi Räikkönen’s Ferrari. Yet another resounding victory for Ferrari and Kimi Räikkönen who, on the green lawns of Silverstone, in the heart of England, beats the prodigious local idol, Lewis Hamilton, the World Champion, Fernando Alonso, and his own unfortunate team-mate, Felipe Massa. A fantastic success as the sensational espionage case rages around the world. A case that is turning the racing world upside down. With all the fondness that one can and does have for Felipe Massa, Kimi Räikkönen represents the redemption of a character which has been offended in every way because, was he or was he not the drunken, cackling young man he was portrayed as at the beginning of the year? Instead, here is the proof that when the car is there, the drivers win too. And at Silverstone, in the English temple of motor racing, McLaren's British cars were nowhere to be seen. We often talk about tyres in order to blame them for every possible fault. And now with this game of changing tyres - Soft, Hard, Soft - here are some cars in which unimaginable faults are immediately exposed. It’s a good thing, because people understand more and understand better. One would want to accuse Felipe Massa perhaps just because of the doubt, the suspicion, that he caused the engine to stop by making some mistake, and then starting last. Even if that were true, one would want him to triumph. Because he also had a beautiful race, an epic drive.
Someone will perhaps say that the real reason for the triumph lies in those lenticular wheels that Ferrari displayed at Silverstone. That may well be, but those wheels were invented decades ago and in the magical, phantasmagorical world of F1 no one seemed to have noticed. Now there are four fighting for the top spot, but at the moment the favourite driver for the 2007 F1 title is the one who has shown the most continuity, namely Lewis Hamilton. The confirmation comes from analysing the first half of the season, after nine Grands Prix run and with eight more to go. No one would have guessed this, and not because his technical skills were in doubt but simply because the young Englishman is a rookie. But the McLaren driver has amazed with his solidity (thanks also to a great car) and has never fallen off the podium: two victories, four second places and three third places. However, psychologically, this is his most difficult moment. Third place at Silverstone stings Lewis Hamilton: who knows what he would have given for a win. Instead, after Saturday's illusion and the zigzag start that made some raise an eyebrow, Lewis Hamilton lost first place to Kimi Räikkönen, and, above all, to Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard himself now appears revitalised: so far, his season has been one of ups and downs. The title holder is still cursing the Canadian and French Grands Prix, where he finished seventh and lost the heavy points that separate him from his young team-mate. However, Silverstone could be the start of a new life, and he is hopeful to the point that he has declared that he will catch him sooner or later. But in the meantime, nothing more could be done at Silverstone:
"Nothing to do against a Ferrari like that".
Fernando Alonso is content with second place in the British Grand Prix, but his post-race statements taste like surrender.
"The Ferraris were too fast today, there wasn't much we could do. Second place is the best we could get: we were missing a couple of tenths a lap, the result at the end cannot be a surprise. We have to see what we can do to improve. The strategy was not to make such a short pit stop. The first stop allowed us to overtake Kimi momentarily, but I couldn't stay in front".
You have to understand him, poor Alonso. Those at McLaren, when he was hired, had told him that he would be the team's Schumacher. They had assured him that Hamilton was the ideal partner, a young man who would learn from the champion.
Never would Alonso have expected that the pupil would learn so quickly. What is more, the Spaniard does not like sharing telemetry data, and even the coin toss to decide which of the two drivers gets the last lap in qualifying (with the advantage of having less petrol). This is no way to treat a World Champion. And then there are the two Ferrari drivers: Kimi Räikkönen, who is in the best shape at the moment.
"We repeat our times, and we can win every weekend"
Rising trend, sky-high optimism. The Finn had made a great debut, immediately winning in Australia. Then two podiums to confirm his desire, but he lost his feeling with the car from the Spanish Grand Prix: a retirement (electrical problem), a point in Monaco and no restart from the North American round (Canada and the United States). A horrible month, which had not only lowered the odds but even led to doubting the driver. But Kimi Räikkönen, to quote Michael Schumacher, never ceases to amaze. Finally, the fourth contender: Felipe Massa. The Brazilian is currently suffering due to an unexceptional start, and above all, the disqualification in the Canadian Grand Prix. Even luck has not helped him, see the combustion problem that caused his engine to cut out on the grid at Silverstone.
"I don't see any loss in performance. On the contrary, I am very confident because we no longer have circuits where the grip, the adherence is very low. Nothing has changed at all".
Four young guys, each one good, deserving and ambitious. But only one will win, and everyone knows that in addition to the title at stake there is also a non-trivial prize, that of feeling like Michael Schumacher's heir. The drivers will have to avoid human errors, but first comes technical reliability, as Jean Todt, Ferrari's team principal, confirmed again on Sunday evening:
"Our main problem since the start of the season: now we will have to work hard to keep pushing on performance development".
It is on this terrain that the bets are placed, it is on reliability that McLaren has built its treasure trove in the standings(no issues so far this season in this regard). But the comeback is not impossible and, curiously enough, Lewis Hamilton - at least for a few Grands Prix - could join Fernando Alonso and Ferrari: anomalous allies in search of the British driver. It would have been a day of normal red triumph if not for the spy affair. The Nigel Stepney, known by all for decades as a likeable character, full of British humour, who was always referred to as the chief mechanic for those on-track. Now he has become a diabolical spy, capable of breaking any password, hacking into all company computers, reading any and every secret. Amazing how one man can do so much. But what level of secrecy is there then at Maranello, where F1 cars are designed? Even more astonishing that such an experienced, capable, quick-witted spy should then calmly set about photocopying hundreds of pages in a photocopier where paper never runs out? The big circus has decided to pin the biggest scandal in Formula One in recent years on the two technical cheats, Nigel Stepney and Mike Coughlan. The former took seven hundred pages of trade secrets from the hated Ferrari, from which he was fleeing as chief mechanic. The second, McLaren's chief designer, received them by email at his home in Spain, printed them out and was preparing to sell them to the highest bidder, for a sum between half a million and a million euros. Max Mosley, president of the FIA and sports referee of the spy-story, reiterates:
"It is a big scandal, but the sanctions will not affect the drivers".
The World Champion, Fernando Alonso, and especially Lewis Hamilton, risk nothing.
On the fourth day of the investigation, Max Mosley appears to be mainly engaged in circumscribing, extinguishing, limiting, and adds:
"There are no elements that lead to the involvement of Honda".
The third team involved. What about the meeting in June between Nigel Stepney, Mike Coughlan and Nick Fry, head of the Honda racing team?
"We have not asked for or received anything from them other than a business proposal".
Says Nick Fry, the man who shook hands with the two unfaithful technicians in his London office. In the end, Max Mosley seems to accept this version from Honda; at McLaren they appear relieved after Thursday's tears, while Ferrari is silent. A furious silence. The fault is solely of the two friends, then, who allegedly acted independently. Max Mosley says:
"Next week we will send new questions to the heads of Ferrari and McLaren. Within twenty-one days we will decide on possible sanctions".
In the evening, however, the FIA president further rectifies his position:
"And that's not to say that the drivers won't also be at risk".
That's why perhaps Ron Dennis, the boss of the Woking factory, seemed optimistic two days ago, and on Sunday, instead, he came out of the pits seething despite Lewis Hamilton's show. Yes, the two cheaters, the two British friends and peers - both 48 years old - who have known each other since 1981, when they discovered the first engines at Lotus and then found themselves in the pre-Schumacher Benetton and again in Ferrari, brought there by John Barnard. They are both, Nigel and Mike, professionally esteemed. Coughlan graduated in engineering from Derby from a course sponsored by Rolls Royce. But they are both prepared, those who knew them say, to lose themselves in the face of the unexpected matter. At Ferrari they remember Stepney’s exuberance at the dinner table, quality in the pit and arrogance in general. The two friends who had probably chosen to get rich peddling aerodynamic and chemical secrets now live as perfect strangers, one in the Modenese town of Stella di Serramazzoni (Nigel Stepney), and the other, Ron Dennis's treacherous protégé, in London's South West countryside. Coughlan is in Bramley, a sweet village of 7.000 souls, but has never been seen at the pub, the golf club, buying the newspaper. He has disappeared from the paddock, probably never to set foot there again. But he still has a lot to tell. But in the meantime, on Sunday 8 July 2007 Nigel Stepney talks to three English newspapers and says:
"I have not stolen any Ferrari documents, but I know where the company has buried skeletons over the last ten years".
Ferrari retaliates by reaching out to the English High Court: top executives and lawyers will take material and testimony against Nigel Stepney and Mike Coughlan, the McLaren project leader from whom seven hundred pages of drawings and plans for the F2007 were seized, to a civil judge. The spy-story is growing, curbing it will be tough. Ferrari's CEO, Jean Todt, appeared in the Ferrari hospitality area at the end of the race and widened a sardonic grin at Stepney's interview:
"If there were things to hide at Maranello, they certainly wouldn't come out only after ten years. There are 900 employees at Ferrari and there is a lot of turnover".
