Ferrari has revealed that it has begun legal proceedings against Nigel Stepney (above left), the Italian team's former technical manager.

The exact nature of the action, which has been brought in Modena, and which follows a formal complaint made earlier this week, has not been revealed, though Stepney is still officially employed by the Maranello outfit.

"Nigel Stepney is still an employee but we have brought an action against him," a Ferrari spokesman told Reuters. "It is not related to any event, it is related to his behaviour," he added.

The Englishman, who joined Ferrari in 1993 as chief mechanic, was a key team member during the Italian outfit's glory years, having previously spent time with Shadow, Lotus and Benetton.

In early February, Stepney revealed that he was unhappy and dissatisfied following the restructuring that followed the 'retirement' of Ross Brawn, and Paolo Martinelli's move to FIAT. The Englishman admitted that he was seeking a fresh challenge with a new team. However, Ferrari was quick to point out the he remained under contract until the end of 2007.

In late February, Ferrari announced a new role for Stepney which meant he would no longer need to attend races. The Englishman would now be responsible for Team Performance Development, as part of the Track Activity Department, headed up by Luca Baldisserri.

Previously, a reliable source had informed Pitpass that Stepney told him, as long ago as the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, that he was seeking a "sabbatical" this year.

"Nigel told me at the Brazilian Grand Prix that he wanted to take a sabbatical in 2007," said the source. "He has a new child, but he also envisaged that this year would not have the order and control of years past due to Schumacher's and Brawn's departures, and his view obviously hasn't changed since October.

"I think he felt that the new regime was going to be, in the extreme, chaotic," the source added. "Perhaps that's too strong a term to use, but he clearly wasn't confident in the changes."