According to a report from Crash.net, the Mercedes Formula 1 team has taken the unusual step of hiring a private investigator following anonymous accusations of internal sabotage against star driver Lewis Hamilton. The team was rocked by allegations via email that purportedly showed a deliberate undermining of the seven-time champion's performance to favor his teammate, George Russell.
The Brackley-based squad initially responded by involving Northamptonshire Police, who, after investigation, concluded that no criminal offenses were committed. Despite this, the unnerving nature of the accusations prompted Mercedes to reportedly escalate their response by engaging a private detective focused on unveiling the person behind these inflammatory claims.
These claims were sent to Formula 1 insiders and members of the media after the Canadian GP but surfaced ahead of the race weekend in Barcelona.
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff expressed his frustration and concern over these developments. Describing the anonymous sender as a "conspiracy theorist" and a "lunatic," Wolff criticized the impact of such accusations, "When we are getting these kinds of emails, and we are getting tons of them, it is upsetting particularly when someone is talking about death and all these things."
He further underscored the seriousness of the team's approach, commenting to the media during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, as quoted in the same Crash.net report:
"I have instructed to go full force with police inquiring it, researching the IP address, researching the phone number, because online abuse in that way needs to stop.
"People can't hide behind their phones, or their computers, and abuse teams or drivers in a way like this."
However, Northamptionshire Police have since released the following statement, confirming they found no criminal activity:
"Northamptonshire Police received a report on June 12 regarding an email that had been circulated within the Mercedes AMG F1 team.
"No criminal offences were found to have been committed. However, advice was given regarding any further emails the team may receive."
Hamilton, on his part, spoke out to mitigate any perceived internal friction by openly supporting George Russell.
"I wasn't actually aware that George was experiencing any negativity," Hamilton said. George has done nothing but his best every single weekend and delivering for the team, so he can't be faulted at all.
"Of course there are always things that can be better within a team and that comes through conversations, through communication, and that's what we're consistently working on.
"But we're all in the same boat, we're all working hard together and we all want to finish on a high. We owe that to our long-term relationship."
About the writer
Lydia Mee is a passionate motorsport journalist with a background in covering Formula 1, NASCAR, electric vehicles, and other various ... Read more
