Ross Brawn has swiftly spoken out to deny Nigel Stepney's allegations this week that he was considering setting up his own F1 team, pledging that "Ferrari and Italy is in my blood and Ferrari is my team," the Briton told Autosport yesterday.

After 10 years as Technical Director at the Scuderia, Brawn took a sabbatical at the end of last year and has recently said that he has opened talks with the Italian team about returning next year. Stepney was sacked recently after being linked to leaking information to McLaren-Mercedes Chief Designer Mike Coughlan and to the sabotage of the F1 cars prior to this year's Monaco Grand Prix. Stepney is in the process of being taken to court by Ferrari.

Earlier this week Stepney spoke out again as he continued to strenuously deny the all allegations surrounding him, saying that the finger should instead be pointed elsewhere at Maranello, that he had been 'set up' over the 'white powder' reportedly found on his pants, and that Brawn, along with other unspecified disaffected employees, had considered setting up their own breakaway F1 team. Stepney and Coughlan appear to have been planning to team up together in a bid to find a higher paying employer and both had been together for an interview with the Honda F1 team. The English press has continued to link Honda's team boss Nick Fry with efforts to secure the services of Brawn for the 2008 season, although no evidence has been provided to support this viewpoint.
 

Brawn has been swift to strongly deny Stepney's allegations: "Following recent media reportage of my situation and the background and the reasons for my sabbatical I thought it might be helpful to re-confirm my position," Brawn told Autosport yesterday.

"The reasons for taking a sabbatical year from Ferrari were purely personal. After thirty years in motor racing I wanted to devote time to my family and pursue some personal ambitions that time had not allowed," he continued. "Whilst, I am pleased to say, Ferrari was disappointed with my decision, they understood my reasons and asked me to discuss future options with them when I was ready to return to motor racing.

"We have now begun these discussions to see if the requirements of Ferrari and my ambitions might match and to see if there is a possibility of working together in the future. After ten fantastic years, the people and culture of Ferrari and Italy is in my blood and Ferrari is my team. Ferrari is the only team or group I have discussed my future with. Any reports linking me with other teams or projects are either inaccurate or speculation," he added.