Colleagues knew Ferrari secrets of McLaren 'spy'

Mike Coughlan, the McLaren chief designer at the centre of the Formula One espionage row, has revealed that several team staff were aware he was in possession of Ferrari secrets.

In a sworn statement, which could be key to deciding if Lewis Hamilton has world title points deducted, Coughlan said: "It's true. I had all the designs.

"It was my responsibility. I showed those designs to McLaren and not just to Jonathan Neale (team manager) but to others as well. Everyone reacted the same way and told me to get rid of them."

Coughlan's 'revelation' may make it hard for McLaren to dismiss the incident as just one rogue employee when they appear before an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sports Council in Paris on July 26.

If they are found guilty of spying, both McLaren and leader Hamilton could be docked points or thrown out of the championship.