In a letter to CSAI President Luigi Macaluso, McLaren boss Ron Dennis accuses Ferrari of winning this year's Australian GP in an illegal car, as the espionage saga takes another shock twist. He also accuses the Italian team of deliberately misleading the media in an attempt to damage his team's reputation.

As he describes Nigel Stepney as a 'whistle blower" and praises the Englishman for doing what others within the sport should be doing, Dennis gives a detailed version of events as they happened, from his team's point of view.

Dennis also accuses the Italian team of attempting to ruin "one of the best World Championships in years", stating that the World Championship should be "contested on the track not in Courts or in the press".

The letter, which is sent also to Max Mosley and Jean Todt, reads as follows:

Dear Mr Macaluso,

ARTICLE 151C OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPORTING CODE

I refer to your letter dated 30 July 2007 to Mr Mosley of the FIA and to Mr Mosley's reply to you dated 31 July 2007, both of which were published on the FIA website yesterday without McLaren being given any opportunity at all to comment on this exchange of letters.

In your letter to the FIA you state that you "find it quite difficult to justify how a team has not been penalised while it has been found in breach of clause 151c of the International Sporting Code." As it is apparent from your letter that you have only heard Ferrari's version of events, I would like to set the record straight and to explain to you in some detail why it was entirely fair that McLaren was not penalised and why it would in fact also have been fair if McLaren had not been found to be in breach of Article 151c at all.

Since this matter first came to light, McLaren has been completely open with Ferrari and the FIA and has cooperated to the fullest extent in the investigation of the facts. At the hearing before the World Motor Sport Council, I and senior members of McLaren's staff gave evidence and were cross-examined by the Council and by Ferrari. We presented to the Council and to Ferrari all of McLaren's relevant documentary records for consideration. All of this evidence was fully tested at the hearing.

Our evidence makes it completely clear that the true facts of this matter are as follows:

"Whistleblowing" in March 2007

In March 2007, Mr Stepney of Ferrari contacted Mr Coughlan and informed him about two aspects of the Ferrari car which he regarded being in breach of FIA regulations. Specifically, he told Mr Coughlan about a floor attachment mechanism and a rear wing separator, both of which could be and were seen on the Ferrari car prior to the Australian Grand Prix.

Mr Coughlan immediately told McLaren's senior management about Mr Stepney's allegations. McLaren took steps to confirm whether the allegations were true, and we concluded that they were. Accordingly we reported these two matters to the FIA, adopting the customary practice of asking the FIA Technical Department for their opinion.