Industrial espionage has always been a problem in Formula One and now Benetton has revealed that computer hackers have stolen its engine designs.
The Benetton Formula One team says its season’s world championship hopes took a dive after computer hackers “stole” engine design data.
Renault’s technical director Jean-Jacques said hackers broke into the company’s system a year ago when his team were working on the final designs for this season’s Benetton car. The team has scored only one point after 11 races this season.
“We discovered in July last year that some of the data from the design of the engine had gone,” His said. “Someone got into the system. We did not believe it at first, but then we were shown what information was stolen. We had to change direction in certain areas of the design, but I am 99 per cent certain there is nothing on the engine now that others could have seen. It was a problem for us.”
But Renault is confident they will be much more competitive in 2002. Industrial espionage has become a growing problem in F1. Last month, Jaguar boss Bobby Rahal and BAR manager Craig Pollock made an appeal for all the covert tactics to stop. During the Canadian Grand Prix last month screens were erected around the pit garages to block all views.
“We are at the stage where we are showing nothing and covering everything,” Pollock said. “We are meant to be putting on a show. The sponsors want us to show the Formula One car and not cover it with a tent!”
Eddie Jordan has also complained of incidents of photographers trying to take pictures of race notes with telephoto lens. “Until you can stop photographers, until you can put some meaningful controls over, if you like, espionage of photographic material into the car, then I don’t know how you can do it,” he observed.
“We are all spending fortunes making the very best car we can, and within two seconds flat all of those pictures are with virtually every Formula One team.”
A decision to police the pit lanes would depend on the teams and Jordan believes it would help if all the sides declared a truce.
