Nigel Stepney (14 November 1958 – 2 May 2014) was a British mechanic. He worked for several teams in Formula One before being appointed chief mechanic at Ferrari. He became a central figure in the 2007 Formula One espionage controversy. Stepney was latterly team manager for Sumo Power. Career Stepney was team manager and chief mechanic of JRM Racing, in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He started in Formula One as a mechanic at Shadow in 1977, then followed Elio de Angelis to Team Lotus before moving to Benetton for the late 1980s and early 90s and then to Scuderia Ferrari with Michael Schumacher, Rory Byrne and Ross Brawn. He was Chief Mechanic at Ferrari and later became Race and Test Technical Manager. At the 2000 Spanish Grand Prix, Stepney was injured during a pit stop for Michael Schumacher's car. This occurred when the German was signalled to depart while Stepney was still detaching the fuel rig. He suffered badly damaged ligaments to his ankle. On 1 February 2007 it was reported on the Internet that Stepney was unhappy with Ferrari's technical restructuring and that he wanted to leave the team, seeking a new challenge. Ferrari's spokesman, Luca Colajanni, reported on Pitpass' website that he had a contract until the end of the 2007 season and that he was therefore staying at Ferrari. On 23 February 2007, Stepney was promoted to Head of the performance development, meaning that he would no longer have to attend races. Espionage allegations On 21 June 2007 it was reported that Stepney was the subject of a criminal inquiry by the Modena district attorney, initiated after Ferrari reportedly made a formal complaint. No reason for the investigation was given, with the specifics of the complaint not being released to the public. A Ferrari spokesman told Reuters "It is not related to any event; it is related to his behaviour." Stepney was also accused of selling Ferrari parts to competing teams. He denied the accusations and claimed to be the victim of a "dirty tricks campaign". On 3 July Stepney was dismissed by Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro. Later the same day Ferrari announced the company was taking legal action against Stepney and a McLaren engineer, Mike Coughlan. A Ferrari press release stated: Upon his return from holiday in the Philippines on 5 July, Stepney was interrogated by the Italian police as part of the industrial espionage case.