[funkdoctorspock]

This is a pretty damning allegation and if it proves true, I'm interested to see what the FIA does. Keep in mind that these allegations are way worse than what Mclaren was found guilty of. It should be more than a 100 million pound fine. If it is the same or more, rumour is Renault will have to pull out of F1. Let's see what happens.

LONDON -- McLaren has raised the stakes in Formula One's latest spy scandal by releasing details of its allegations against rival Renault.

Renault has been summoned to a Dec. 6 hearing of the World Motor Sport Council in Monaco on charges of having "unauthorized possession of documents and confidential information" of McLaren cars between September 2006 and October 2007.

British newspapers on Friday quoted a memo leaked by McLaren's lawyers suggesting that Renault's activities were more serious than those that resulted in McLaren being fined a record $100 million for possessing Ferrari documents.

"It is clear that McLaren's confidential design information was knowingly, deliberately and widely disseminated and discussed within the Renault F1 design and engineering team," McLaren's law firm, Baker McKenzie, said in a submission to the World Motor Sport Council.

The actions provided Renault "with a clear benefit and unfair advantage," the memo said.

If Renault is found guilty and handed a penalty similar to McLaren's, it's uncertain whether the team would be able to continue in F1.

Renault allegedly possessed technical documents from McLaren that engineer Phil Mackereth brought to the French team when he moved from McLaren in September 2006.

Renault said it suspended Mackereth in September as soon as company officials learned of his actions and immediately alerted McLaren and governing body FIA.

The McLaren memo says that 33 files containing more than 780 individual drawings outlining the entire technical blueprint of the 2006 and 2007 McLaren F1 cars were copied onto 11 floppy disks in March 2006.

McLaren says the disks were loaded onto 11 Renault F1 computers in September 2006, when Mackereth joined Renault, and were discussed by up to 18 Renault F1 personnel, including a group of senior engineering chiefs and heads of department.

Renault has downplayed the importance of the technical information, saying it covered only four "basic systems," one of which was obsolete. Renault acknowledged Mackereth had shown the data to other engineers but denied any of the information had influenced the design of the Renault car.
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