Saturday March 16th, 2002

Formula One was rocked by a controversial pitlane confrontation in Malaysia on Saturday as Ferrari and McLaren team members squared up in an ugly clash at the Sepang circuit in Kuala Lumpur.

The incident, involving a well-known British mechanic working for the McLaren team and a Ferrari aerodynamicist, was the talk of the Sepang paddock on the eve of Sunday's showdown between World Champion Michael Schumacher and his frustrated rivals.

The Ferrari man, whose name was not revealed, was shoved out of the McLaren garage area after being accused of spying by Steve 'Tatts' Cooke in an exchange that left a bad taste in the mouths of both teams.

"It was just one of those things," said McLaren team boss Ron Dennis. "We had a few short words encouraging him to go back where he belonged." Dennis said he did not see what happened, but added that "the Ferrari guy concerned and his body language is pretty infuriating.

"It's one thing having tyre-spotters, we all do that. But, perhaps, it's a bit different when you actually step backwards over the guy which is what I believe happened.

"He's not a tyre-spotter anyway, he's an aerodynamicist and that, and the heat and the jet lag led to the incident."

A Ferrari spokesman said: "I don't think this is as bad as that. It was one of those things that can happen, like it does in football. It is over and forgotten."

Published at 12:26:24 GMT