14/03/2008
NEWS STORY
On the day that the 2008 F1 season got underway, McLaren has confirmed that it has terminated the employment contract of former Chief Designer Mike Coughlan, the man who, along with former Ferrari engineer, Nigel Stepney, was at the heart of the spy saga which overshadowed the 2007 season, and which ultimately cost the Woking team $100m, serious loss of face and two championship titles.
"The company has now terminated his employment," a McLaren spokesperson confirmed to Pitpass. However, for legal reasons, the spokesperson was unable to confirm precisely when Coughlan's contract was terminated.
Coughlan was suspended by the Woking team in July last year, four days after learning that he was the subject of a Ferrari investigation regarding the receipt of technical information. Subsequently, as the scandal developed, it emerged that Ferrari was tipped off as to Coughlan's involvement when his wife attempted to have several hundred pages of Ferrari documents copied at a Woking copy shop.
It is understood that Coughlan, who has subsequently apologised to both the FIA and Ferrari, and accepted a ban from motorsport until 2009.