- The email suggests Hamilton is being ‘sabotaged’ by his Mercedes team
- Mercedes insist the email was not penned by an employee but a Hamilton fan
- Hamilton is eight points behind team-mate George Russell in the standings
Mercedes have called in the police to investigate the origin of the email accusing them of ‘sabotaging’ Lewis Hamilton.
The source of the correspondence was concealed by an invented email address, using a name defaming Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell, who they claim is being favoured by team principal Toto Wolff.
Mercedes confirmed on Friday afternoon that they have taken the matter to an unnamed police force after their own investigation failed to find the IP address.
The team insist the correspondence was not penned by an employee – as the mystery writer implies – but by a Hamilton fan. The author asserts Wolff is ‘scorned’ by the seven-time world champion’s decision to join Ferrari next season.
Hamilton claimed on Thursday that he was unaware of the letter, which was sent on June 10 – a day after the Canadian Grand Prix, in which he finished fourth, a place behind Russell – to all the sport’s high-rollers and journalists who were previously copied into the leak of Red Bull boss Christian Horner’s exchanges with a female employee in March.
The fact the recipients were the same would seem to indicate the sender is connected to Formula One circles, though the email addresses reached can, it is believed, be accessed elsewhere.
The email’s explosive subject title was ‘A potential death warrant for Lewis’ – implying the 39-year-old driver is endangered by being sent out on cold tyres.
The full email read: ‘The email said: ‘Some of us in the team are unhappy about the systematic sabotaging of Lewis, his car, his tyre strategy, his race strategy, his mental health, and the unprofessional way Toto, lover boy George and others are mistreating him.
‘Toto is vindictive and is like a scorned wife no longer speaking with Lewis but is doing everything possible to get back at him. Lewis is excluded and some underhanded (sic) things are going on that people need to be aware of.
‘Ask the questions and the truth will out. It is all in the data and is 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 to Lewis, other drivers, even the public. A cold tyre strategy is a death warrant.
‘Toto, George beware and be correct. Not all of us are prepared to be a part of your unfair unprofessional destruction of Lewis for your own self-gratification.’