F1 rumor: “Sabotage” allegations against Lewis Hamilton trigger investigation at Mercedes

An anonymous email has surfaced among Formula One journalists and top representatives of the sport claiming that Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is being systematically sabotaged by his own team, sparking an investigation into the Brackley-based outfit. The claim emerged after the Canadian Grand Prix, where Hamilton unexpectedly finished fourth behind teammate George Russell.

Mercedes has vehemently denied these allegations, pointing out that the email did not come from an insider, but from a passionate but misguided Hamilton fan. Despite ongoing investigations, the team has been unable to identify the IP address linked to the email’s origin, which has only fuelled speculation further.

The contents of the leaked email describe a deliberate attempt to undermine the seven-time champion’s performance by tampering with his car, tires and race strategies, and even his mental wellbeing. Worryingly, the email underlined the potential dangers such actions posed not only to Hamilton, but also to other drivers and spectators, describing them as potentially life-threatening. The email stated, as quoted by Daily Mail:

“Some of us in the team are unhappy about the systematic sabotage of Lewis, his car, his tyre strategy, his race strategy and his mental health.

“Lewis is excluded and there are some underhanded things happening that people need to know about.

“Ask the questions and the truth will come out. Everything is in the data and recorded. With the exception of Bono (Peter Bonnington, Hamilton’s race engineer) and those of us who love Lewis, others are on a dangerous course that could ultimately be life-threatening for Lewis, other drivers and even the public. A cold tyre strategy is a death sentence.”

In response to the email, Lewis Hamilton commented to the media before the Spanish Grand Prix:

“They know we are a strong team and have worked hard together. It’s easy to get emotional. I only commented on my performance at the last race. We need support, not negativity.”

“Of course, things can always be made better within the team and that happens through conversations and communication. We are constantly working on that. We all want to finish successfully and I think we owe that to our long-standing relationship.”

Mercedes was still dealing with these allegations as of last Thursday and has not yet made any further comment.