Alleged Sabotage Against Hamilton: Claims Cause shock to Wolff
It's buzzing around if Lewis Hamilton's being treated unfairly at Mercedes, with whispers of sabotage even hinted anonymously. The emotionally charged Formula-1 team has reportedly called in the cops. Toto Wolff, team principal, is also investigating, looking into potential hacked IP addresses.
Following the anonymous accusation of sabotage against Mercedes, the Formula-1 team has reached out to the cops. "To all the nuts out there: Seek professional help," an irate Toto Wolff stated at the official press conference at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona on Friday. "This online harassment ought to cease." The authorities are now digging into the matter.
Two weeks prior, an anonymous email was sent out to accredited journalists and Formula-1 officials from the FIA. In the email, accusations were leveled against Wolff, team principal, of instigating a "systematic sabotage" against Hamilton, allegedly for the advantage of teammate George Russell. Hamilton is rumored to be mistreated and intentionally held back.
Mercedes is going hard against the sender.
Hamilton announced earlier he'll be leaving Mercedes after this season and moving to Ferrari. The 39-year-old has mostly been trailing Russell this year. Gossip swirling suggested Hamilton's teammate was being favored. "When we get emails like this, and we get loads of them, it's quite unsettling, especially when someone talks about death and such," Wolff shared. "In this case, I gave the order to take swift action. We've called in the cops."
Wolff added that Mercedes is also investigating the IP address. "People can't hide behind their phones or computers and spew hate at teams or drivers," Wolff stressed. "That's where the fun ends, and we'll pursue it."
Hamilton stated the day prior that he hadn't read the specified email himself. He defended his teammate Russell and called on his Formula-1 fans on social media to stay calm. "It's simple to get emotional," Hamilton said. "We require support, not negativity. I wasn't even aware that George had faced any negative experiences. George gives his best every weekend and is growing with the team. There's no justification for making accusations against him whatsoever."
Wolff referred to Mercedes' goal of winning the constructors' championship this year. To do so, you need two cars that can win. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur, a buddy of Wolff, concurred with him on the sabotage allegation: "That's utterly irrational to me." Russell himself claimed he hadn't encountered any negative comments on social media. It's not nice to hear such things, but that's sadly "the world we inhabit". Any person in the public eye is confronted with such stuff.
Currently, Hamilton ranks eighth in the driver standings, 14 points behind Russell. In the qualifying races this season, Hamilton has typically finished behind the 26-year-old. After a disappointing qualifying session at the end of May in Monaco, Hamilton had fainted and remarked, "I didn't envision being ahead of George in qualifying this year." After that, gossip circulated that Mercedes favored Russell because he would drive for the team longer.
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In response to the allegations of sabotage against Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes has initiated a thorough investigation, examining potential hacked IP addresses. Amidst the controversy, Hamilton continues to perform diligently, trailing teammate George Russell in the race standings.
Given the escalating situation, Toto Wolff, team principal of Mercedes AMG, has strongly condemned any form of online harassment, prompting authorities to join the investigation.
