Mercedes says no criminal offence committed over Lewis Hamilton ‘sabotage’ email

Mercedes has been told no criminal offences have been committed after the British Formula 1 team called on police to investigate an anonymous email claiming Lewis Hamilton’s car was being “sabotaged”.

During the recent Spanish Grand Prix, team boss Toto Wolff vowed to respond “with all his might” to the correspondence – reportedly from a disgruntled Mercedes employee – which he described as “a potential death sentence for Lewis”.

The email, addressed to Wolff, F1 boss Stefano Domenicali, FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem and other major players in the paddock, arrived on June 10, a day after the Canadian Grand Prix – a race in which Hamilton was overtaken by teammates. mate George Russell in the penultimate lap.

Mercedes reported the note to authorities 48 hours later.

A spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Police told the PA news agency: “Northamptonshire Police received a report on June 12 of an email circulated within the Mercedes AMG F1 team.

“No criminal offenses have been identified, but advice has been given regarding any further emails the team may receive.”

It is understood the Silver Arrows have been urged to report similar correspondence to police.

The email accused Wolff of being “vindictive” and said the 52-year-old Austrian “is doing everything he can to get back at him (Hamilton)” for choosing to leave Mercedes for Ferrari.

Wolff, who is adamant that the email did not come from within his own organization, in his speech last Friday called on “crazy conspiracy theorists” to “consult a psychologist” if they think the team is against Hamilton works.

And after Sunday’s race in Spain, in which Hamilton finally ended his losing streak to Russell – beating his compatriot in qualifying and then taking his first podium of the season – Wolff reiterated his stance.

He said: “I have zero respect for these conspiracy theorists because they have no brains. We want a car that wins races and championships and if you don’t get that, you should watch another sport.

“It’s good to see Lewis had a great weekend as it’s been a while since he’s been on the receiving end and the strategy has gone against him.

But today it went in his favor, so I’m happy we got that podium for him because it’s been a while.”