Ron Dennis has reacted swiftly to quell rumours emanating from a Czech radio interview claiming that he was behind the 'sting' to discredit
FIA president
Max Mosley.
The
McLaren boss was seemingly accused of setting up the exposé involving five prostitutes and a 'Nazi-themed orgy' by the general secretary of the Czech Automobile Association, Radovan Novak, who has made no secret of his support for Mosley. Novak's comments, made to a Prague-based radio station, are reported as 'at best ambivalent', but appeared to suggest that Dennis, or parties working under his instruction, were hitting back following last year's espionage scandal in which the governing body slapped McLaren with a record $100m fine.
“As I have consistently said whenever I have been asked about this, I categorically deny that I have anything to do with the
News of the World's investigation into Mr Mosley, neither does anyone connected with the McLaren Group or the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team," Dennis said in a statement, "Neither does any agent or any other party acting on behalf of myself or anyone connected with the McLaren Group or the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team.”
Novak's comments follow on from Mosley's own assertion that he had been informed by 'an impeccable high-level source close to the UK police and security services' that he had been set up by 'a specialist group' employed by 'clients whose identity had yet to be revealed'. While not denying that he was involved in the S&M session, the FIA president has hired a private investigation company to try and discover who may have been behind the sting.
Dennis, meanwhile, has said that he will also be in touch with Novak, asking for clarification of the comments he made in the interview.
“We are writing to Mr Novak and are currently considering the appropriate route via which the remarks that have been attributed to him may be withdrawn or corrected,” he revealed.
