Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes’ Formula 1 team, has gone public about his dismay over anonymous emails alleging sabotage against star driver Lewis Hamilton, confirming that police are now involved in the investigation. The anonymous claims, accusing the team of deliberately undermining Hamilton’s car and mental health, have been starkly denied by Mercedes.
The contentious email sent to Formula 1 officials and media outlets suggested that Wolff and his team were engaged in “sabotaging” the British driver’s performances.
In response to these serious accusations, Wolff outlined the steps being taken by the team to trace the origins of these claims. He explained during the Team Press Conference in Spain, as quoted by Motorsport:
“It’s not from a member of the team. When we are getting these kinds of emails, and we’re getting tons of them, it is upsetting, particularly when there is somebody talking about death and all these things.
“On this particular one, I have instructed to go on full force. We have the police inquiring [about] it. We’re researching the IP address. We are researching the phone. All of that 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.”
Wolff dismissed these conspiracy theories with visible frustration, emphasizing the team’s commitment to integrity in the sport.
“I don’t know what some of the conspiracy theorists and lunatics think out there.
“Lewis has been part of the team for 12 years. We have a friendship. We trust each other. We want to end this on a high. We want to celebrate the relationship.
“If you don’t believe all of that, then you can believe that we want to win the constructors’ world championship. And part of the constructors’ world championship is making both cars win. So, to all of these mad people out there, take a shrink.”
The Mercedes team leader also tackled the broader issue of online anonymity used to attack and malign individuals without accountability, suggesting a more open and transparent method of critique. He concluded:
“There will always be people that have the laptop on their chest in their bedroom and just typing away.
“If people feel like they want to abuse and hit out and hide behind a made-up Instagram account, or anything else that, for me is… come up, say who you are, and we’ll take the criticism and discuss. But don’t hide.
“If emails are being sent or telephone numbers are being used for these messages, then for me the joking stops, and we will pursue it, whether that is successful or not. But there are limits to certain things.”
