At the same time as the FIA were announcing yesterday that the Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes team had a case to answer to them, Kimi Raikkonen was wrapping up three days of testing for the Scuderia at the recently revised Spa circuit.

In a week of fast-moving legal developments in and out of the courtroom in the unfolding 'espionage' case, Ferrari came to an agreement on Wednesday with McLaren Chief Designer Mike Coughlan, who stands accused of being in possession of classified documents belonging to the Scuderia and believed to have been passed on by former Maranello engineer Nigel Stepney, which will see him providing an affidavit to Ferrari.

Ferrari issued a statement to clarify this new matter mid-week: "In light of the hearing yesterday in the High Court in London, relating to the case between Ferrari S.p.A. and the Coughlans, Ferrari wishes to make clear the following: the legal teams on both sides had reached an agreement on two procedural points that were to be discussed in a further hearing this morning," the statement released in Maranello read. "Therefore, the hearing in which these procedural points were to be discussed has been cancelled. Mike Coughlan has today provided Ferrari with an affidavit relating to relevant facts and Ferrari has agreed not to forward the affidavit to the Italian criminal authorities. The agreement reached between the parties therefore concerns only the procedural aspects mentioned above. The case brought by Ferrari in England against the Coughlans therefore continues in terms of what is decided by the High Court in London," it concluded.

Yesterday matters ratcheted up a notch further as the FIA World Motorsport Council announced that the McLaren-Mercedes team does indeed have a case to answer to. The bombshell news was sensational and it was featured on prime time TV and radio news bulletins and programme across Europe all day as feverish speculation turned to what penalties the world championship-leading team could face if found guilty, with the options including the deduction of points or even its exclusion from the series. McLaren swiftly responded to the FIA World Motorsports Council statement with a press release of their own, the English F1 team continuing to deny that they had used any 'intellectual' property from Ferrari on any of their cars.
 

Despite these denials though the fast-moving circumstances of the case continues to draw them in ever more closely." McLaren is extremely disappointed to note that it has been asked by the FIA to answer a charge of being in possession of certain documents and confidential information belonging to Ferrari," read the statement. "Whilst McLaren wishes to continue its full co-operation with any investigation into this matter, it does wish to make it very clear that the documents and confidential information were only in the possession of one currently suspended employee on an unauthorised basis and no element of it has been used in relation to McLaren’s Formula 1 cars," it also stated.

Meanwhile away from the courtroom drama yesterday was the third and final day of testing this week for Scuderia Ferrari at the newly revised Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, where the Italian team was joined on track by all its main rivals including the McLaren-Mercedes outfit. Thursday saw Kimi Raikkonen's taking his turn at the wheel of the F2007 to continue the work programme that had begun on Tuesday and which centred mainly on finding the best set-up for the car as well as the development of new components. The Scuderia's other F1 driver, Felipe Massa, had carried out the first two day's testing schedule. The day started on a track still damp from overnight rain. From late morning onwards it was possible to run on dry weather tyres. The day in figures were as follows: 69 laps completed, the quickest in a time of 1.47.042.

Ferrari will be back on track for a demonstration at the Mugello Circuit on Sunday at a race meeting which will feature the Italian Ferrari Challenge Pirelli Trophy series and cars competing in the DTM series. Luca Badoer will be at the wheel of a 248 F1. Badoer will then be back on track at Fiorano on Tuesday 17 July, to shake down the F2007 cars that will be used in the European Grand Prix, at the Nürburgring on Sunday 22 July.