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LONDON - McLaren's title prospects were plunged back into doubt yesterday when Formula One's governing body agreed an appeal court should have the final say on the spy saga gripping the sport.
Max Mosley, president of the International Automobile Federation, granted an Italian request for a review of last week's FIA decision not to punish McLaren for unauthorised possession of Ferrari information.
An FIA spokesman said the appeal hearing, in front of a panel of at least three judges, was likely to be in Paris at the end of August with leaders McLaren again facing sanctions ranging from a reprimand to being kicked out of the championship.
McLaren, with 22-year-old British rookie sensation Lewis Hamilton two points clear of double world champion teammate Fernando Alonso, lead Ferrari by 27 points with seven races remaining. The next grand prix is in Hungary on Sunday.
McLaren, who suspended chief designer Mike Coughlan after the Briton was found to have 780 pages of Ferrari technical information at his home in July, said they were confident the appeal court would also clear them.
The Mercedes-powered team had argued Coughlan was a disgruntled employee acting in isolation and the FIA's World Motor Sport Council decided there was insufficient evidence that the team had benefited from the data.
Ferrari argued the decision "legitimises dishonest behaviour" and Luigi Macaluso, the president of the Italian Automobile Federation, wrote to Mosley on that team's behalf to seek an appeal.
He said Ferrari, who were not allowed to appeal in their own right, had not been able to present their side of the story.
Mosley agreed they had a case, saying: "Exclusion or withdrawal of points did not seem appropriate if it was really just a case of a rogue employee illegitimately acquiring information for his own purposes.
"Your letter suggests the outcome may have been different if the council had given Ferrari more opportunities to be heard beyond those that were in fact offered.
"Because of this and the importance of public confidence in the outcome, I will send this matter to the FIA court of appeal.".
Ferrari, who are taking legal action in England against Coughlan and in Italy against their own dismissed employee, Nigel Stepney, welcomed the FIA's decision as "a sensible one". However, McLaren accused Ferrari of waging a "thoroughly misleading press campaign" but was confident it would be exonerated.
- REUTERS
