19/02/2008
NEWS STORY
Former Ferrari engineer Nigel Stepney, the man said to be at the heart of the spy saga that rocked F1 last year, underwent his first meeting with Italian investigators yesterday.
The Englishman was interviewed by Modena magistrate Giuseppe Tibis, who subsequently told Reuters that Stepney had been "collaborative and thorough".
After the meeting, Stepney, who is accused of passing technical information belonging to his (then) employer, Ferrari, to McLaren chief designer, Mike Coughlan, told reporters that he was "very calm".
Stepney's lawyer Sonia Bartolini says the Englishman, who has also been accused of attempted sabotage by Ferrari, did have contact with Coughlan, however he denies passing him the information. She also said that others involved in the saga have not been investigated enough.
A meeting between various senior members of the McLaren team and Tibis, scheduled to take place yesterday, has been postponed, with no new date given.