Ferrari has now fired engineering veteran Nigel Stepney, as speculation of sabotage and espionage continues to swell.

The Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport broke the news on Tuesday, following an internal investigation by the famous team and the commencement of legal proceedings against the 48-year-old Briton.

Stepney is due to return to Italy on Thursday from a holiday in the Philippines, and - having denied all wrongdoing - the latest suggestion is that he plans to return fire by suing Ferrari.

"I can confirm that Nigel Stepney is no longer an employee of Ferrari," team spokesman Luca Colajanni confirmed.