Renault called to WMSC hearing

The Renault F1 Team has been called to appear before the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) in regard to allegedly having confidential McLaren information in its possession. McLaren itself raised the question when it was under investigation earlier in the year in the Ferrari spy scandal.

A former member of McLaren moved to Renault and reportedly took several computer discs of McLaren information with him. The FIA acknowledged the Woking squad's complaint at the time but said it was a separate case from the spy saga. Now it is under scrutiny.

"Representatives of the Renault F1 Team have been requested to appear before a hearing of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Monaco on Thursday, December 6, 2007," said a statement from the FIA.

"The team representatives have been called to answer a charge that between September 2006 and October 2007, in breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code, the Renault F1 Team had unauthorised possession of documents and confidential information belonging to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, 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."

Renault is said to be co-operating fully with the sport's governing body. Meanwhile, the FIA has begun its investigation into the 2008 McLaren car as a result of the spy hearing. McLaren was thrown out of this year's constructors' championshiop when it was judged the team was in unauthorized possession of Ferrari inforation.

The FIA previously said next year's McLaren challenger would be under scrutiny to make sure it did not feature any Ferrari technology or designs. It appears that investigators have visited the Woking Technology Centre to examine data but both the FIA and McLaren declined to comment.