Mercedes boss confirms police involvement in anonymous “sabotage” allegations against Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes Formula 1 team principal Toto Wolff has confirmed that police are investigating allegations of sabotage against seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. This comes after an anonymous email and subsequent WhatsApp messages caused controversy and concern in the motorsport community. The seriousness of the allegations has not only prompted a legal response, but has also highlighted the dark side of online abuse in competitive sport.

In the anonymous email, which went directly to F1 insiders and several media outlets, the Mercedes team under Wolff’s leadership is accused of deliberately undermining Hamilton’s performance on and off the track. The allegations are serious. The actions are described as potentially “life-threatening” and the integrity and morality of the team’s leadership are questioned.

Mercedes has vehemently denied these allegations. The team reiterated its commitment to fairness and integrity in competition and stressed that undermining a key driver would run counter to its goal of winning the Constructors’ Championship, which depends on the performance of both cars.

Wolff, who was disturbed by the nature of the allegations, detailed the steps being taken to counter this campaign. He commented, as quoted by Motorsport:

“It’s not from a member of the team. When we get emails like that, and we get loads of them, it’s disturbing, especially when someone talks about death and all that kind of thing.

“In this particular case, I have ordered that we proceed with the utmost force. We have asked the police to investigate. We are investigating the IP address. We are investigating the phone. All of this because online abuse of this kind must stop. People cannot hide behind their phones or computers and abuse teams or drivers in this way.”

Wolff criticized the anonymity of the allegations and the broader problem of anonymity on the Internet in spreading baseless claims. He continued:

“I don’t know what some of the conspiracy theorists and crazy people out there think.

“Lewis has been part of the team for 12 years. We are friends. We trust each other. We want to end this on a high. We want to celebrate the relationship.”

“If you don’t believe all that, then you can believe that we want to win the Constructors’ Championship. And part of the Constructors’ Championship is that both cars win. So, to all those crazy people out there: go see a psychiatrist.”

Wolff’s anger was palpable as he spoke about the anonymity that allows such toxic behavior. He concluded:

“There will always be people who have their laptop on their chest in their bedroom and just type away.

“If people feel like they want to call her names and dish them out and hide behind a made up Instagram account or whatever, then to me… come here, say who you are, and we’ll take the criticism and discuss it. But don’t hide.

“If emails are being sent or phone numbers are being used for these messages, then I’m done joking and we will investigate whether it is successful or not. But some things have their limits.”

While Mercedes strongly denies these unfounded allegations, the motorsport world is closely monitoring the outcome of the investigation and its potential impact on the way teams and drivers speak out publicly and deal with criticism in the future.