Formula 1: McLaren has issued a public apology over their role in the spying saga that appears certain to pave the way for Lewis Hamilton to compete in next year's Formula One world championship.
In a remarkable turn of events, McLaren have confirmed information stolen from Ferrari penetrated the team more deeply than revealed.
Facing the threat of being kicked out of the 2008 title fight, McLaren have offered to put a freeze on developments that could be determined as deriving from the Ferrari information.
The World Motor Sport Council, in conjunction with the Formula One teams, were due to hold an EGM on February 14th in Paris to discuss the McLaren situation.
However, FIA president Max Mosley has asked the WMSC members for consent to cancel the hearing "in the light of McLaren's public apology and undertakings," and "in the interests of the sport, to consider this matter closed".
On September 13th, McLaren were found guilty of fraudulent conduct, namely being in unauthorised possession of technical information belonging to Ferrari. That resulted in the WMSC fining McLaren $100 million and stripping the team of all their constructors' points for the 2007 season.
At the time McLaren were warned a thorough investigation would be conducted into the 2008 car to ensure it was effectively free of Ferrari information.
That resulted in a group of inspectors from the FIA Technical Department carrying out a thorough search of McLaren's Woking-based headquarters.
Their findings were presented in a report to the WMSC in Monaco on Friday, with the Technical Department damningly reaching the conclusion McLaren were intent on using the Ferrari information on their 2008 car.
They were also satisfied several senior McLaren engineers were party to the information initially stolen by Ferrari's former head of performance development Nigel Stepney and passed onto Mike Coughlan, the former chief designer at McLaren.
The report also severely criticised McLaren for their own woeful internal investigations, claiming they did not appear "very thorough."
Anticipating the report, McLaren's F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh wrote a letter to Mosley and the WMSC members 48 hours previously expressing "sincere regret" with regard to some of the matters brought to light.
It was a highly-embarrassing climbdown by McLaren who undoubtedly feared they would not be allowed to compete in 2008 following the Technical Department's revelations.
A McLaren statement today read: "As a result of the investigations carried out by the FIA it has become clear Ferrari information was more widely disseminated within McLaren than previously communicated.
"McLaren greatly regrets that its own investigations did not identify this material and has written to the WMSC to apologise for this.
"McLaren has recognised that this entire situation could have been avoided if we had informed Ferrari and the FIA about Nigel Stepney's first communication when it came to our attention.
"We are, of course, embarrassed by the successive disclosures and have apologised unreservedly to the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
"To avoid even the possibility of Ferrari information influencing our performance during 2008, McLaren has offered a set of detailed undertakings to the FIA which will impose a moratorium on development in relation to three separate systems (quickshift, fast fill and CO2 as a tyre gas).
"McLaren wish to make a public apology to the FIA, Ferrari, the Formula 1 community and to Formula 1 fans throughout the world and offer their assurance that changes are now being made which will ensure that nothing comparable to what has taken place will ever happen again.
"McLaren now wishes to put these matters behind it and to move forward focusing on the 2008 season."
In going public with their apology, Mosley appears satisfied the matter can finally be brought to an end.
However, for McLaren their problems may not be over due to the repercussions suffered by the scandal.
In Whitmarsh's letter to Mosley, he reveals "the long-term damage to the team's previously outstanding record and commercial capability is significantly greater than that potentially envisaged by the fiscal penalty previously imposed upon the team."