NIGEL STEPNEY, the Ferrari engineer accused of sabotage by the Italian Formula One team, broke his silence last night to claim that he is the victim of a “dirty tricks campaign”.

A criminal investigation has been launched in Italy over claims that a white powder was found in the petrol tank area of the Ferrari race cars six days before the Monaco Grand Prix last month. Late on Friday, police raided Stepney’s house near Ferrari’s home base at Maranello, northern Italy, and left holding a small container.

The 47-year-old Briton, who played a key role in the team that helped Michael Schumacher win five consecutive world championships, insisted that he was innocent. “I have confidence I’ll be cleared by the legal process that is now taking place,” he said from the Philippines where he is holidaying with his fiancee Ash and their young child. “It is just part of a dirty tricks campaign and everything is in the hands of my lawyer, so we’ll wait and see what happens.” Ferrari have been in a state of flux since Schumacher retired at the end of last season. After a good start to this year, with wins in Australia, Bahrain and Spain, Felipe Massa, the Brazilian, and the Finn Kimi Raikkonen have slipped behind the McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and world champion Fernando Alonso. Part of Ferrari’s underperformance is being blamed on the sabbatical being taken by Ross Brawn, the team’s inspirational technical director.

It has been suggested that Stepney’s nose was put out of joint by not being offered Brawn’s job and when he made his dissatisfaction public he was given a factory-based role as head of team performance development, for which he earns £750,000 a year. In a recent interview, he said: “I’m not currently happy with the situation within the team — I really want to move forward with my career and that’s something that’s not happening right now.”

Stepney spoke to Honda a few weeks ago about taking a job with the troubled Japanese-backed team.

Last night he laughed off pit-lane rumours that he had “fled” to the Far East. “I’m on a planned holiday with Ash and our baby,” he said. “Why would anyone say I am not contactable? I booked the flights through the Ferrari travel office. They know where I am.”

Ferrari, which was celebrating its 60th anniversary with a party at its late founder Enzo Ferrari’s house yesterday, refused to comment, saying: “Everything is part of the legal process.”