MAY 2, 2014

Former Ferrari man Nigel Stepney killed in road accident

Nigel Stepney, the former Ferrari chief mechanic who was fired in 2007 after being accused of sabotage and leaking data to McLaren, has been killed in a traffic accident in England.

Nigel Stepney, the former Ferrari chief mechanic who was fired in 2007 after being accused of sabotage and leaking data to McLaren, has been killed in a traffic accident in England.

His current sportscar team, JRM, has confirmed the accident, which occurred Friday morning.

PC Glen Braidwood of Kent Police's Serious Collision Investigation Unit said, "A VW caddy van, driven by a 56 year-old man from the Essex area, had stopped on the hard shoulder of the M20 London bound carriageway at Ashford. For reasons yet to be established, the man appears to have entered the carriageway and was then in collision with an articulated goods vehicle. He was pronounced deceased at the scene."

Stepney had a long career in Formula 1, working for Shadow, Lotus and Benetton before becoming the head mechanic for Ferrari - and enjoyed much success winning five championships with Michael Schumacher.

Stepney left F1 after the spygate scandal - working in sportscar racing and joined the JRM team in 2010.