FERRARI/Stephneygate: White Powder Exam Completed, Trial This Week

(from autosport)

Nigel Stepney's lawyer claims there is still no proof that the former Ferrari chief mechanic was involved in a deliberate attempt to sabotage the team's cars last year, despite the matter moving closer to a trial this week.

Reports in Italy suggest that the judicial examination of the infamous white powder found in Kimi Raikkonen's fuel tank during preparations for last year's Monaco Grand Prix has now been completed.

It is said that professor Maurizio Migliaccio, appointed by Modena judge Barbara Malvasi to investigate the matter, ruled that the powder is a mixture of food supplements and vitamins. Had the substance found its way into the engine, Migliaccio claims, it would have caused the power unit to seize.

Although traces of the powder were found on Stepney's work trousers and in his house, his lawyer Sonia Bartolini thinks the latest report still provides no proof that the former Ferrari chief mechanic was involved.

"All in all, professor Migliaccio's conclusions are favourable to Nigel, because they don't fully clear up the doubts," Bartolini was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.

"In fact, it isn't clear whether the powder thrown into the fuel tank could have caused the engine to seize, and even less the sudden stop of the car, with the consequence of possible damage to people as hypothesized by the magistrate.

"We had no doubt that the powder would be compatible with the one found in Stepney's confiscated trousers, but that doesn't entail the automatic involvement of my client in this matter."