In a letter to the sport's governing body, McLaren has admitted that more Ferrari information had infiltrated the team than had at first been realised or revealed.

The Woking-based outfit was fined a sporting record $100 million USD for having been found in possession of confidential Ferrari data earlier this year, and excluded from the 2007 constructors' championship at a World Motor Sport Council hearing in September.

With its 2008 car now due to be heavily scrutinised by the FIA before being cleared to race in case it is deemed to contain any influences from Maranello, McLaren has taken the step of writing to the governing body to apologise over the matter – one that has rocked the sport to its core – and insist it will offer its full co-operation in any upcoming inspections.

A statement on the team's official website reads as follows:

'As a result of the investigations carried out by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, it has become clear that Ferrari information was more widely disseminated within McLaren than was previously communicated. McLaren greatly regrets that its own investigations did not identify this material, and has written to the World Motor Sport Council to apologise for this.

'McLaren has written a letter to the FIA, which in the interests of transparency it is publishing with this press statement. That letter speaks for itself, and the sentiments expressed in it are sincerely held by McLaren. McLaren has also written to the World Motor Sport Council to apologise that it has taken an FIA investigation to find this information, and have expressed our deep regret that our understanding of the facts was improved as a result of the FIA inspection rather than our own investigations.

'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. During the course of these incidents, McLaren has conducted a thorough review of its policies and procedures regarding the recruitment and management of staff. The proposals arising from this thorough review have been disclosed to the FIA, and McLaren has agreed to demonstrate that all of these policies and procedures have been fully implemented.

'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 have also agreed to pay the costs incurred by the FIA for their investigation.

'McLaren now wishes to put these matters behind it and to move forward focusing on the 2008 season.'