Northamptonshire police in the UK say that they have found no evidence of “criminal offenses” in the case involving an anonymous email accusing the Mercedes F1 team of sabotaging Lewis Hamilton’s efforts.
Following a complaint from Mercedes, authorities were entrusted with an investigation into the nefarious email that was sent last week to selected members of the F1 paddock, including media, ahead of last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
The anonymous group sending mirrored the tactic used earlier this year to spread rumors about Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.
The content of the email, described as “upsetting” by Mercedes F1 team principal and co-owner Toto Wolff, and allegedly penned by a member of the Brackley squad, implicitly suggested that Mercedes is purposefully hindering Hamilton and prioritizing teammate George Russell because of the former’s impending move to Ferrari in 2025.
Read also:
“It’s not from a member of the team,” commented a none-too-please Wolff last weekend in Barcelona.
“When we’re getting this kind of email, and we’re getting tons of them, it is upsetting, particularly when somebody talking about death and all these things.
“So, on this particular one, I have instructed to go on full force. We have the police enquiring it. We’re researching the IP address.”
On Tuesday, however, the Northamptonshire police released the results of their investigation, concluding that “no criminal offenses” were identified.
"Northamptonshire Police received a report on 12 June regarding an email that had been circulated within the Mercedes AMG F1 Team," a spokesperson for the authorities told the BBC.
"No criminal offences were found to have been committed. However, advice was given regarding any further emails the team may receive."
The nature of this advice remains confidential, but it suggests the authorities believe such communication, even if not explicitly criminal, could be disruptive or harassing, and should continue to be monitored by Mercedes.
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
