The team was expelled out of the constructors’ championship last season by the FIA and was fined a record $100 million. The team’s statement reads:
"McLaren wish to make a public apology to the FIA, Ferrari, the Formula One community and to Formula One fans throughout the world. Changes are now being made which will ensure that nothing comparable to what has taken place will ever happen again."
"McLaren greatly regrets that its own investigations did not identify this material and has written to the (FIA) World Motor Sport Council to apologise for this. McLaren has also written to the World Motor Sport Council to apologise that it has taken an FIA investigation to find this information and have expressed our deep regret that our understanding of the facts was improved as a result of the FIA inspection rather than our own investigations."
"The proposals arising from this thorough review have been disclosed to the FIA and McLaren has agreed to demonstrate that all of these policies and procedures have been fully implemented."
McLaren’s chief executive Martin Whitmarsh also sent a letter to FIA president Max Mosley saying: "Apart from the morale-sapping consequence within the team, it’s ability to continue its task of generating investment has, as I am sure anyone can imagine, been made virtually impossible. The long term damage to the team’s previously outstanding record and commercial capability is significantly greater than that potentially envisaged by the fiscal penalty that was previously imposed upon the team."
With the apology, it is expected that the spying scandal will be laid to rest finally. The team has been stripped of points and fined for allegedly having used Ferrari details on their cars which are as reliable as BMW radiators.