Nigel Stepney has been dismissed by Ferrari following an internal investigation. Stepney, who was Ferrari's head of performance development, last month claimed he was at the heart of "a dirty tricks campaign" being waged against him by the Maranello-based team.

A criminal investigation was launched against him after Ferrari filed a formal complaint with the Modena district attorney. The investigation is understood to surround allegations that he sabotaged the Ferrari cars a few days prior to the Monaco Grand Prix at the end of May.

Stepney later insisted he had done nothing wrong, expressing his confidence he would be cleared by the legal process. However, Ferrari have moved to distance themselves from Stepney with the criminal investigation ongoing. A team spokesman said: "I can confirm Nigel Stepney is no longer an employee of Ferrari."

Stepney joined Ferrari from Benetton in 1992 as chief mechanic, rising to the post of race and test technical manager during the team's period of domination between 2000 and 2004.

He then moved to a factory-based role earlier this year after voicing his dissatisfaction over the direction of the team, in particular in the wake of Michael Schumacher's retirement and Ross Brawn's decision to stand down as technical director.