Max Mosley has questioned Ron Dennis' integrity in the 'Stepneygate' scandal.
FIA president tells of Hungarian GP events which brought new spying evidence to light
FIA president Max Mosley has questioned Ron Dennis' version of events in the 'Stepneygate' scandal, hinting but not accusing the McLaren boss of being economical with the truth.
The normally unruffled Mosley took time out to speak to the media at the Belgian Grand Prix - and was clearly surprised by the ferocity of the questioning.
Speaking ahead of qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps, Dennis had revealed that he was the one who informed the FIA that Fernando Alonso had email evidence relating to the affair.
Heated conversation
The McLaren team boss said that after a heated conversation with Alonso in Hungary he phoned Mosley telling him that the world champions had information.
However, half an hour later Alonso's manager told Dennis the information was "a load of old rubbish".
Dennis promptly phoned Mosley again, passing on the message. However Mosley only remembers one phone call.
"On the morning of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Ron rang me and he said, 'I've just had Alonso in the motorhome and he says he's got information and he's threatening to give it to the Federation," Mosley told
ITV.
"So I said, 'What did you say Ron?' He replied, 'I said 'go on and hand it over'.
"I said, 'Ron, you said exactly the right thing.'
"And then Ron said, 'But there isn't any information.'
"So I said, 'So it's an empty threat?'
"And he replied: 'Yes, a completely empty threat. There's no information, there's nothing to come out; I can assure you that if there was something, Max, I would have told you.'"
Disappointed
Mosley also expressed disappointment that someone he has known since the 1960s could mislead him about the truth in such a serious matter.
"Now this was a week after looking me in the eye in the World Council and telling me there was absolutely nothing wrong and everybody had done exactly as they should do, so I believed him," he continued.
"I've known Ron for 40 years; it's very difficult for me, when somebody I've known for 40 years looks me in the eye and says, 'Max, I'm telling the truth with complete sincerity' - you believe him.
"It was only when I got the list from the Italian police [showing] 323 SMS phone calls going over a three-month period between [suspended McLaren designer Mike] Coughlan and [former Ferrari engineer Nigel] Stepney, [that I concluded] there had to be more to this.
"You don't get 300 messages arranging a visit to Honda. This is something serious.
"At which point I sat down and wrote the letter to the drivers, and the rest is history."
