Motor Sport Formula OneRenault could join McLaren at the far end of the Formula One paddock next year if the sport's governing body finds the French team guilty of using design details illegally acquired from McLaren when the FIA world motor sport council meets this morning in Monte Carlo.
Only four months after the FIA stripped McLaren of their constructors' championship points - and imposed a $100 million (€700,000) fine - for illegally pirating Ferrari data, Renault could face a similar penalty if, as McLaren believe, the extent of their unauthorised possession of a large amount of technical information belonging to their rival is even more far reaching than the earlier accusation against McLaren.
With pit allocation dependent on team positions in the previous year's constructors' championship, McLaren and Renault could be rubbing shoulders with such relative paupers as Super Aguri and Force India, the newly named Spyker outfit.
For Max Mosley, the FIA president, a guilty verdict against Renault would offer an opportunity to demonstrate to the sceptical that the governing body is even-handed in imposing penalties for seriously infringing the rules.
On the other hand, some rival team principals point out that disqualifying Renault from third place after a season in which they failed to win a single race hardly equates to the penalty handed out to McLaren, who were locked in a championship duel with Ferrari when they lost their points at the end of August.
Specifically, the FIA will be investigating Renault in respect of the unauthorised possession of confidential McLaren technical information "including, but not limited to, the layout and critical dimensions of the McLaren F1 car, together with details of the McLaren fuelling system, gear assembly, oil cooling system, hydraulic control system and a novel suspension component used by the 2006 and 2007 McLaren F1 cars".
Neither team wished to comment yesterday, but it is understood McLaren will claim 33 files of confidential technical information were copied on to 11 discs and loaded into the Renault F1 computer system in September 2006.
The world motor sport council is expected to reach a decision today before moving immediately on to the next agenda item, the question of the "technical audit" carried out recently by the FIA to establish whether any Ferrari technology has been incorporated in the design of McLaren's new challenger for 2008.
