Formula 1 News: Former F1 backmarker Adrian Sutil arrested (Update)

(GMM) Adrian Sutil has issued his first formal response to last week’s arrest, with his lawyer insisting the former Formula 1 driver rejects all allegations and is cooperating fully with investigators.

Sutil, 42, was taken into custody in Sindelfingen last week after coordinated raids in Germany, Monaco and Switzerland. Stuttgart prosecutors confirmed he is under investigation for aggravated fraud and embezzlement in an international luxury-car leasing context.

His lawyer Dirk Schmitz released a detailed statement through TZ, confirming Sutil remains in pre-trial detention – not because of the charges themselves, but because he no longer has a residence in Germany.

“Adrian Sutil is currently in pretrial detention in Germany, primarily due to the fact that Mr Sutil does not have a residence in Germany, but only in Monaco,” Schmitz confirmed.

Sutil “vehemently denies” all accusations.

“From his perspective, no financial damage has been incurred by third parties to date,” the lawyer stated, adding that the case involves “international and cross-border leasing agreements” evaluated differently under various national laws.

Schmitz went further, alleging the former Force India driver may actually be the target of a larger criminal scheme.

“The triggers and accompanying circumstances point to an attempt to deliberately and misleadingly damage his reputation. In particular, Adrian Sutil himself has become the victim of a major financial crime in a European context,” he said, promising additional information soon.

Sutil is said to be fully cooperating with investigators “to contribute to a swift and comprehensive clarification”.

“He is confident the allegations will prove unfounded and that his great name as a Formula 1 driver will be fully rehabilitated,” the statement said.

He also described his arrest as a “traumatic experience” and asked the public and media to avoid prejudicial speculation. “Assessments should only be made once reliable findings are available,” Schmitz wrote.

(GMM) Former Formula 1 driver Adrian Sutil has been arrested in a coordinated international police operation, with Bild newspaper revealing that investigators are accusing the 42-year-old of serious fraud and embezzlement.

According to the German newspaper, raids took place simultaneously at Sutil’s properties in Monaco, Switzerland and Sindelfingen, with officers from the Stuttgart State Criminal Police arresting him in Germany on Thursday morning.

He was then taken to a local court, where a judge executed an already-issued arrest warrant.

The Stuttgart public prosecutor’s office has confirmed only that multiple properties were searched in cooperation with state investigators, declining to reveal details of the charges.

Bild’s sources, however, cite suspicion of “aggravated joint fraud and joint embezzlement” linked to luxury-car dealings in Monaco and Switzerland.

Sutil disappeared from the public spotlight after ending his F1 career in 2014, but regularly attracted attention for his ultra-high-end car collection, with Auto Hebdo reporting earlier this year that his garage included a Bugatti Chiron, Pagani Zonda, Ferrari Enzo and several Koenigsegg models, among others.

He is also no stranger to legal trouble – in 2012 he received an 18-month suspended sentence for injuring Lotus investor Eric Lux with a champagne glass in a Shanghai nightclub.

Authorities have not yet confirmed his latest arrest publicly. The former Force India driver is presumed innocent.