MONZA, Italy, Sept 7, 2007 (AFP) - Kimi Raikkonen topped the times for Ferrari in Friday morning´s opening practice for Sunday´s Italian Grand Prix, the 27-year-old Finn outpacing his Brazilian team-mate Felipe Massa by one-tenth of a second.

On a clear, blue-skied late summer morning at the famous old Monza circuit, the two Ferrari drivers set the pace ahead of their McLaren Mercedes-Benz rivals championship-leading Briton Lewis Hamilton, who was third fastest, and defending drivers´ world champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso, fourth.

The four leading cars were seemingly locked in a private war for speed and success on the track as their teams, off the circuit, began flexing other muscles in the escalating controversy surrounding the so-called ´spy story´ that has overshadowed much of the Formula One season.

In this, according to the latest reports in Italian media, McLaren, it is claimed, have been not only in possession of many of Ferrari´s technical secrets this year, but also using them to their advantage.

This, it is said, is the conclusion drawn from the latest evidence presented to the sport´s ruling body, the International Motoring Federation (FIA).

It is alleged that not only did Ferrari, through their now-dismissed ´rogue mechanic´ Englishman Nigel Stepney - who the team have also accused of sabotage - suffer the loss of a 780-pages dossier of information, which was given to McLaren´s former chief designer Mike Coughlan, now suspended, but they also saw some of the key components of that dossier made use of by their rivals.

In the latest reports surrounding this scandal, it is claimed that Coughlan supplied information about Ferrari´s work, notably with Bridgestone tyres and car set-ups, to the McLaren team test driver Pedro de la Rosa, who in turn passed it on to his fellow-Spaniard Alonso. In both cases, it is said the communication of this data was done by email.

This allegation was confirmed on Friday when a letter sent by the FIA president Briton Max Mosley to all teams was revealed to reporters at the Italian Grand Prix by an unidentified source who wished to remain anonymous.

In this letter, Mosley made clear that it was the confirmation of this evidence - email exchanges between the two Spanish McLaren drivers - that had led him to cancel next week´s appeal hearing and to call another meeting of the full FIA world motor sport council to consider the matter.

It remained unclear on Friday who had alerted the FIA to the existence of these email exchanges, despite widespread suggestions that it was either Alonso or his former team boss at Renault Flavio Briatore, who has made no secret of his admiration for the Spaniard and his desire to bring him back to Renault.

According to sources in the paddock, Mosley wrote to all the teams last Friday to inform that the two Spanish McLaren drivers had been in possession of ´written evidence relevant to this investigation.´

In this letter, he made clear to the teams that it was their duty to provide any evidence relating to the spy affair.

Similar letters were also sent to Alonso, de la Rosa and Hamilton, asking them to provide evidence in exchange for an ´amnesty´ over possible future sanctions.

In his letter to the teams, Mosley said: "In particular (though without limiting the generality of this request) the FIA wishes to receive copies of any electronic communications (howsoever conveyed or stored) which may be relevant to this case and which make reference to Ferrari, Nigel Stepney or any technical or other information coming from, or connected with, either Ferrari or Mr Stepney."

It is believed that Alonso and de la Rosa subsequently provided the information about their email exchange earlier this week and this prompted the FIA to recall the World Motor Sport Council for a hearing on September 13.

Both McLaren and the FIA declined to comment on these latest allegations in the ´spy story´ on Friday as the drivers took to the track.

The Ferraris, desperate for success to maintain their championship campaign, dominated the session as they have dominated the supply of whispered tips and rumours in the paddock, but McLaren´s pairing were in close pursuit.

Behind them, the improving Williams of German-born Nico Rosberg was fifth ahead of Briton Jenson Button in his Honda, Italian Giancarlo Fisichella in a Renault and Robert Kubica of Poland in the leading BMW Sauber.