F1 Team Fined $100m after Stolen Ferrari Paperwork Changed the Sport Forever

The sport of Formula 1 was changed forever after one of its most prestigious teams was fined $100m for handling stolen Ferrari paperwork.

Back in 2007, shockwaves rippled through the motor racing world with the infamous 'spygate scandal'. The scandal primarily involved Ferrari and McLaren, who were the two dominant forces in F1 at the time.

The case - which has gone viral on Reddit once again - involved disgruntled Ferrari employee Nigel Stepney, who secretly removed 780 pages of confidential information from of the factory including the blueprints for Ferrari's car in 2007.

Stepney passed the information to his friend Mike Coughlan, who was McLaren's chief designer. However, the plan began to unravel when Coughlan's wife, Trudy, went into a photocopy shop requesting copies of the documents.

Kimi Raikkonen leading Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Image: ANTONIO SCORZA / Staff via Getty

The shop owner, who was a Ferrari fan, became suspicious and decided to email Ferrari, sparking a full investigation. The theft of technical information became the subject of legal action in Italy and an official investigation from the FIA.

A first hearing in July 2007 did not result in any immediate penalties for McLaren, but a second hearing in September changed everything.

It was determined that the confidential information had reached other members of the McLaren team, which may have given them an advantage.

McLaren were fined $100 million and thrown out of the 2007 Constructors' Championship for 'illicitly holding information to confer a dishonest and fraudulent sporting advantage'.

The hearing, however, did not conclude whether McLaren had used the documents to directly aid the design or development of their cars.

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in 2007. Image: Paul Gilham / Staff via Getty

The $100 million fine remains the largest in sports history. Although, the FIA specified that the amount included all prize money that the team would have earned that season.

As McLaren lost approximately $70 million in prize and TV revenue, that was deducted from the fine, meaning the net payment was an estimated $31 million.

The 2007 season further unravelled for the McLaren team as a tense relationship developed between their drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

Hamilton was a rookie into the team, while Alonso was fresh off two consecutive world titles with Renault.

Alonso believed that the team was prioritising Hamilton and the relationship between the stars began to break down.

As McLaren struggled with internal conflict, Kimi Raikonnen capitalised and snatched the 2007 Drivers' Championship for Ferrari, winning by one point from Hamilton.

But the Briton did not have to wait long to win his first world title in a McLaren, taking the 2008 title in dramatic fashion.