New designer for struggling Honda

Honda have been struggling with a poor car this season

The Honda team have signed BMW Sauber's chief designer Jorg Zander as they attempt to improve their poor form.

Honda, who won their first race of the modern era last year, have slumped this season and scored only one point in the first nine Grands Prix.

Their fortunes contrast with BMW Sauber, who have progressively improved and have this year's third fastest car.

Named deputy technical director, Zander is part of a recruitment drive aimed at improving Honda's performances.

Honda's senior technical director, Shuhei Nakamoto, said: "This is the latest in a series of key appointments that we have made in order to bolster our team.

"With the steady performance improvements we have made over the past few races and a strengthened technical team, I am sure the difficulties we have seen in the first half of 2007 are now behind us."

Zander is the second of those major appointments. The first was Frenchman Loic Bigois, who joined as head of aerodynamics last month. Bigois and Zander previously worked together at the Williams team.

Jenson Button won last year's Hungarian Grand Prix for Honda - but the victory came in an unpredictable wet-dry race and only after Fernando Alonso's leading Renault retired.

The win came towards the end of what had been a troubled season, and only after a major development programme aimed at improving a struggling car.

This year, Honda's form was even worse than at the beginning of last year, and so far they are showing scant evidence of being able to repeat the improvements they made in 2006.

Spyker hand Klien testing drive

Klien has raced in 46 Grands Prix since his 2004 debut

Austrian Christian Klien will take part in a one-day test for Spyker, who are looking for a new race driver after dropping Dutchman Christijan Albers.

Klien, 23, is a test driver for Honda but the team have given him permission to drive for Spyker in Spa on Thursday.

"I'd like to thank Spyker for this opportunity," said Klien, who lost his Red Bull seat to Mark Webber in 2007.

Spyker, who have yet to win a point, insist they have yet to decide who will replace Albers for the remaining races.

Team principal Colin Kolles said: "There are many elements to be considered before we can make our final decision on drivers.

"We'll evaluate all the options over the coming days before making any announcements ahead of the German Grand Prix and beyond."

However, Honda sporting director Gil de Ferran hinted his team would be willing to let Klien go, saying: "This test with Spyker could lead to him returning to a race seat and those opportunities do not come along often."

Spyker parted company with Albers because of a problems with his sponsorship.

The Dutch team are also considering promoting test driver Markus Winkelhock and have been linked with Indian Narain Karthikeyan, who currently test drives for Williams.

Coughlan to reveal all in spy row

Ferrari say their technical secrets were taken illegally

McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan has agreed to provide a sworn declaration about how he obtained important Ferrari documents.

Coughlan was suspended by his team after becoming embroiled in the "spy" row that has hit Formula One.

A High Court hearing in London on Wednesday was cancelled when Coughlan agreed to demands to provide an affidavit answering Ferrari's queries.

However, Ferrari have insisted that the court action is still ongoing.

Ferrari have accused Coughlan and his wife Trudy of stealing technical information.

Ferrari would have remained blissfully ignorant of it if not for the tip-off Ferrari lawyer Nigel Tozzi

Trudy Coughlan is alleged to have taken a 780-page Ferrari document to a photocopying shop for reproduction.

Ferrari said they would not have known about the missing documents had an employee at the shop not alerted them.

Ferrari confirmed last week a court order had been obtained that resulted in a search of the Coughlans' home where the documents were found, along with computers to be examined by experts.

Representing Ferrari, Nigel Tozzi told the court on Tuesday: "Their conduct by taking these documents, knowing they were not entitled to them, keeping them and copying them - on any view they behaved disgracefully.

"Ferrari would have remained blissfully ignorant of it if not for the tip-off."

Stepney insists he has been made by a scapegoat

That tip-off led to the sacking of Ferrari's head of performance development Nigel Stepney, and McLaren's suspension of Coughlan.

The suspicion is Stepney passed on the documents to Coughlan, an allegation the former has stringently denied.

Stepney insists he is unaware of how such information came into the possession of Coughlan, who has so far yet to speak on the matter.

Ferrari's case against Stepney and Coughlan has also been presented with the Modena Tribunal in Italy.

During last week's British Grand Prix, it was alleged the two men were in collusion with Honda team principal Nick Fry.

Fry confirmed a meeting with both men at a Heathrow Airport hotel on 1 June but insisted they discussed nothing more than the prospect of employment within the Japanese team.

Fry has asserted he has nothing to hide, while McLaren boss Ron Dennis also maintains his team's integrity and honesty will be upheld.

World motorsport's governing body, the FIA, is conducting its own investigation, involving a detailed examination of the McLaren cars driven by Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

Dennis is confident their findings will reveal the information in Coughlan's possession was not used to develop the McLarens.

However, it emerged during the hearing McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale was aware Coughlan had the documents.

It is unclear, though, whether Neale knew before or after Ferrari started their legal case.