Mercedes to Take Legal Action Against Employee

Thomas Hinss · Dec 10, 2015

After another highly successful year in Formula One with more intra-team dramas being played out throughout the season, Mercedes have decided to take legal action against one of their engineers over alleged leaking of confidential information.

The Mercedes F1 team are preparing to take legal action against an engineer within the Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains engine manufacturer, after he allegedly took confidential information as he prepared to join rival team Ferrari, reported the BBC.

The engineer in question is Benjamin Hoyle, who allegedly searched for, and saved race data presumably to aid the 2016 efforts of the Scuderia. He was set to leave Mercedes at the end of 2015 and begin working with Ferrari for the 2016 season and beyond.

"The company has taken the appropriate legal steps to protect its intellectual property," said a Mercedes team spokesperson.

According to Bloomberg, the team wants the allegedly taken documents and information returned and the payment of its legal fees. They are also pursuing to block Hoyle from being able to leave the team and join Ferrari or any rival team in F1 until the completion of the 2016 season.

Ferrari kept the alleged incident at arm’s length, with a spokesman for the team telling Reuters that Hoyle did not have a “formal contract” to join the team in 2016, saying “We are not involved in this.”

Steve Bird · Dec 10, 2015

Deserves all he gets to be honest. This is against the law as it's passing across information which is IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) controlled. People have gone to prison in the past over this kind of thing.

Ferrari are also breaking the law by reading the information......I bet bugger all happens to them though.

Tim Lundy · Dec 10, 2015

Steve Bird said:
Deserves all he gets to be honest. This is against the law as it's passing across information which is IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) controlled. People have gone to prison in the past over this kind of thing.

Ferrari are also breaking the law by reading the information......I bet bugger all happens to them though.

By, "deserves all he gets", you mean a fair trial? No evidence has been presented to any jury or judge and no ruling made. Let's not jump to conclusions based on a drive by news item.

BlkJello · Dec 10, 2015

"Deserves all he gets to be honest. This is against the law as it's passing across information which is IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) controlled. People have gone to prison in the past over this kind of thing.
Ferrari are also breaking the law by reading the information......I bet bugger all happens to them though."
You have to prove it first. Good luck with that.

Steve Bird · Dec 10, 2015

I don't have to prove anything

That's up for the courts to decide. However, if he is guilty he will get the book thrown at him. Is that better Tim?

Kurei · Dec 10, 2015

It's up to Mercedes to prove anything, and for the court to reach a conclusion based on what's presented.

"Innocent until proven guilty" as we say in America, for all we know this is a scapegoat for Mercedes for a whole 'nother reason or motive.

Besides, weren't Ferrari finding loopholes around testing restrictions ?, what came of that "news story" ?

Steve Bird · Dec 10, 2015

Hehehe, Ferrari get away with a lot of stuff in F1. Remember when the fiasco of fuel tanks hit the headlines a few years back? Well my mate who works for another team remembers a two fuel tanks arriving in the middle of the night at the Ferrari garage. Amazingly there was nothing said but why would you change two fuel cells overnight if you weren't on the cheat bandwagon? Nothing changes in F1.

nikdek69 · Dec 10, 2015

Steve for godness sake... your story proves a "real fact" isn't it ?

BlkJello · Dec 11, 2015

Steve Bird said:
I don't have to prove anything That's up for the courts to decide. However, if he is guilty he will get the book thrown at him. Is that better Tim?

Of course i didnt mean you.

But accusations and proof can be light years apart.

William Néron · Dec 11, 2015

At this point I would be happy if Ferrari get hold to those informations, past years of F1 has been so boring anyway...

Steve Bird · Dec 11, 2015

I don't think getting hold of technical information that you're not supposed to be viewing is the way to go about winning. Not only that we had far too many years of Ferrari's winning so I think it's about time that another team started winning....maybe a nice good old fashioned privateer like Williams GPE

.....not that I'm biased or anything

Blkout · Dec 11, 2015

While I think its wrong if this actually happened. I'm actually curious why Mercedes would try to block this guy and keep him with Mercedes for another year? If you drag this guy's name through the mud, do you really think he's going to be a valuable employee for next racing season?

Paulo Gomes · Dec 11, 2015

Mercedes is simply taken legal action, because in 2014 it was suppose that this engineer has going join Ferrari for 2016, but he is not! And theres no evidence of spionage, so far...
In Mclaren-Ferrari espionage scandal of 2007, then a 780-page Ferrari dossier was found in the possession of the McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan, and Mclaren were hit with 100million.

Flammenjc · Dec 11, 2015

Typical, engineer gets stary eyed over a ferrari move and risks his neck to get in their 'clique'

thewarmer · Dec 12, 2015

The balance is the same as every-time Merc as decided to race in GP the last time they race in F1 back in the fifties as a works team Ferrari & all the other Italian teams could only come 3 or worse.

It took the Silver arrows team a little longer this time to find its feet , but the result is the same the current Turbo Era seemed to help them into the top spot over RedBull & Ferrari who have both struggled to get to grips with these smaller Turbo units.

I think you have to be little stupid to risk taking your former teams secrets with you , the money these guys & girls are on , its madness to throw it all away just for the sake of some data.

We all know that there is no doubt another change of power plant in the pipe line for 2017 or 18 as these new era Turbos have proven to be not very welcomed by followers of F1.
If that was the case then keep this person locked into his contract would be in the faver of Merc as if the Rules on engine types change then an data he had would be worthless in lets say a none turbo era.
We all know the Dawf chef of F1 wants a new format for his empire soon anyhow.

InsaneOzzie · Dec 12, 2015

This type of theft goes on every where on a daily basis, rivals will always do what is necessary to "get on top" even resorting to corrupt practices to get that edge, there's nothing new here other than pathetic rivalry between multi-million dollar companies. I'm sure Merc would of done similar if it was in the same position, although they would undoubtedly deny as Ferrari has done.

If F1 had remained with normally aspirated or turbo power plants this crap wouldn't be happening, and F1 would still be the #1 of motorsport.

I see this as, the F1 circus creating some off track, off season excitement, because there was very little, if any of it during the actual season.

Chris · Dec 13, 2015

Andrew Scott said:
If F1 had remained with normally aspirated or turbo power plants this crap wouldn't be happening, and F1 would still be the #1 of motorsport.

Really?