It was reported yesterday that Mercedes-Benz AG is suing Benjamin Hoyle, an ex-employee who at the time of the report was expected to be joining the Scuderia Ferrari team, but the Italian F1 squad have today made a move to distance themselves from the ex-Mercedes engineer.
The legal case claims that Hoyle, who worked in the Mercedes engine department, was found to be attempting to access files made confidential to him after he informed the company he was leaving to join rivals Ferrari in May.
The Italian team issued a statement to Bloomberg, who first broke the news, “Ferrari held talks with Hoyle about employing him, but he never signed a contract and is not joining the company,”
Mercedes also spoke with Bloomberg as it seeks to recover all of the documents and ban him from joining any other F1 team until after the 2016 season.
“Legal action is underway involving Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains Ltd. and an employee. The company has taken the appropriate legal steps to protect its intellectual property.”
