Ferrari weigh up spy-case options

Ferrari appear to have accepted that they cannot appeal to the FIA against the governing body's decision last week not to punish McLaren after the British team were found guilty of having improperly acquired almost 800 technical drawings of this year's Ferrari F2007 contender.

A Ferrari spokesman was quoted as saying the formula one rules did not allow an appeal against a decision by the World Motor Sport Council. However, it was made clear to the bbc.sport website that the Italian team were "valuating all possible options" when it came to pursuing the case. This hints at a court challenge, although in the past most civil courts have simply referred such disputes back to the governing body.

The spokesman said the team's legal cases were continuing in Italy and England against the former Ferrari employee Nigel Stepney and the man to whom he is believed to have leaked the paperwork, McLaren's chief designer Mike Coughlan. The FIA ruled on Thursday that the championship was materially unaffected by McLaren's possession of the documents but they still face a ban if they are shown to have benefited from the information.
The high court said on Monday that no more proceedings were planned in Ferrari's case against Coughlan, who has been suspended by the McLaren team pending the outcome of these hearings. Ferrari said they were pressing on with their claim against the Englishman.

(Source: Guardian.co.uk)