Fernando Alonso

Another day, another staggering revelation. In a plot with more twists than a spinning top, Fernando Alonso entered Formula One’s spying controversy as a potential witness against his own McLaren team.

Alonso was placed in an impossible position as the alleged recipient of an unsolicited e-mail containing information about the Ferrari car. The electronic missive was allegedly posted in his inbox by McLaren test driver and friend Pedro de la Rosa, who, in turn, had received the mail from Mike Coughlan, the McLaren chief designer at the centre of the espionage affair.

The world champion was forced to disclose what he knew in response to a request from Formula One’s governing body, the FIA, which was acting on a tip-off. The whistleblower is still at large.

Alonso was one of the three drivers contacted by the FIA, alongside his McLaren teammates De la Rosa and Lewis Hamilton.

Each team principal was also invited by official letter last week to disclose any information that might have a bearing on the spy case. It is thought the sensitive information in the replies from Alonso and De la Rosa formed the basis of the “new evidence” referred to by the FIA as the basis for next week’s hurried meeting of the World Council.

Since McLaren’s defence against allegations of acting improperly considered by the first meeting of the World Council in July rested entirely on the argument that information allegedly passed from Ferrari to McLaren via Coughlan was not used to the benefit of the team, the latest development is potentially ruinous.