McLaren have been served notice they are under investigation by Modena prosecutors in relation to the 'spygate' affair.
McLaren officials were tonight visited by officers of the court at the team's £10million brand centre in the Formula One paddock at Monza ahead of tomorrow's Italian Grand Prix.
The incident came within hours of McLaren drivers Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton locking out the front row of the grid for the race.
A McLaren spokesman confirmed: 'The team was informed on Saturday evening by Modena magistrates they are involved in an ongoing investigation.'
Criminal proceedings are active against Nigel Stepney, who was sacked by Ferrari from his role as head of performance development in July.
Stepney is being investigated for allegedly sabotaging the team's cars ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix in May.
A mysterious white powder was apparently discovered around the petrol caps of the cars driven by Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen days before the race in Monte Carlo.
Stepney is also accused of passing on a 780-page technical dossier to McLaren's suspended chief designer Mike Coughlan, although he has strongly protested his innocence in both cases.
McLaren face a second World Motor Sport Council hearing in Paris on Thursday after new evidence recently surfaced into the fact they were caught in possession of the technical information.
The team were found guilty of fraudulent conduct, but no penalty was imposed due to insufficient evidence.
The latest allegation reportedly centres around an email exchange between Alonso and test driver Pedro de la Rosa.
