Formula 1: McLaren have expressed their "extreme displeasure" over reported Italian police claims that senior members of the Formula One team have "responsibility" for the spying saga that rocked the sport last year.
Italian magistrates questioned senior personnel from McLaren on Wednesday as part of the Modena district attorney's criminal inquiry into the incident that saw the Woking-based team come into possession of a 780-page dossier of Ferrari technical data.
Italian police issued a statement yesterday which suggested that evidence taken from McLaren's headquarters in Woking and the homes of top executives — including team boss Ron Dennis — implicated high-level McLaren employees in the case.
An excerpt from the police statement published by Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport claimed that from the evidence there "clearly emerges the responsibilities of the management and some technicians at a high level in McLaren".
A statement issued by McLaren today slammed the wording of the police statement as "grossly inaccurate and misleading".
"McLaren Racing wishes to record its extreme displeasure with the wording of a statement that the Italian Police are reported to have made yesterday," the statement read.
"If those reports accurately reflect the police statement, the statement is grossly inaccurate and misleading.
"The reports incorrectly claim that the searches produced material which clearly shows the responsibility of certain people at McLaren Racing. In fact, the Italian police have not yet even been given access to any of the material taken, nor have they even started to review that material.
"We would be extremely surprised if the review of the documentation reveals anything which has not already been disclosed as a result of the extensive investigations already carried out.
"McLaren Racing believes that due process needs to be respected and that the conduct of an investigation process should not be construed adversely or used for publicity purposes."
The statement continued: "It should be noted that none of the extensive searches or investigations completed to date have produced any evidence that the Ferrari documents which Mr Nigel Stepney handed over to Mr Michael Coughlan were ever passed to anyone else at McLaren Racing or used on the McLaren Formula 1 car.
"McLaren Racing will continue to co-operate with Surrey Police regarding any further searches and enquiries they are required to undertake. McLaren Racing wishes to thank Surrey Police for the helpful and courteous manner in which they have undertaken the process."