Brundle hits back over libel writ

(GMM) Martin Brundle has hit back at the FIA for legally pursuing a newspaper column he wrote earlier in 2007.

The former grand prix driver turned F1 pundit fears his FIA accreditation credentials may now be under threat, but remains adamant that the FIA is guilty of "blatant double standards" over the McLaren and Renault spy cases.

In Monaco last Friday, the World Motor Sport Council cleared the path for the FIA to pursue the Sunday Times, a British newspaper, for libel.

Brundle had described the Stepneygate espionage scandal as a McLaren "witch hunt" waged by the FIA.

In a new column, he now says the decision to not penalize Renault for a similar or worse case of spying "makes no sense".

Brundle also described the French writ for his earlier article as "a warning sign to other journalists and publications to choose their words carefully" over the Renault verdict.

"The timing of the writ is significant, in my view, given the FIA's decision to find Renault guilty of having significant McLaren designs and information within their systems, but not administering any penalty," Brundle, who raced 158 times in formula one, wrote.

"I expect my accreditation pass for next year will be hindered in some way to make my coverage of F1 more difficult and to punish me.

"Or they will write to ITV again to say that my commentary is not up to standard despite my unprecedented six Royal Television Society Awards for sports broadcasting. So be it," he added.