Former F1 star once friends with Lewis Hamilton 'arrested' after 'fraud charge'

Sutil and Hamilton in 2009. Both in race suits and Sutil smiling while Hamilton rests his hand on Sutil's shoulder. — Photo: © IMAGO

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Former F1 star once friends with Lewis Hamilton 'arrested' after 'fraud charge'

Adrian Sutil raced in F1 between 2007 and 2014.

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 30 November 2025 10:57

Adrian Sutil, a former F1 star once friends with Lewis Hamilton, has reportedly been 'arrested' following an 'international raid' according to German publication Bild.

The 42-year-old competed in F1 between 2007 and 2014, driving for Spyker, Force India and Sauber across his career.

The former driver has been detained for alleged fraud and embezzlement, as reported by German newspaper Bild.

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Sutil has not publicly commented on the allegations and his lawyer did not respond to a Bild inquiry on the matter early on Friday afternoon.

The public prosecutor's office declined to comment on the specific charges against Sutil.

Are Sutil and Hamilton still friends?

Sutil never managed to secure a grand prix victory nor did he ever make it onto the F1 podium during his time in the sport, but he did compete in 128 grands prix and grew even closer to Hamilton during his time on the grid.

The pair were previously team-mates in the 2005 F3 Euro Series season, racing alongside one another with ASM.

Hamilton dominated the season and won 15 out of the 20 races, scoring nearly twice as many points as Sutil, who was his nearest rival.

But the duo's friendship became strained after an incident in 2011 at a Shanghai nightclub that prompted another run in with the law for Sutil.

The German driver was involved in an incident with Lotus team executive Eric Lux, who became injured after Sutil had struck him on the neck with a broken champagne glass.

Hamilton was also in the club during the incident and was summoned as a witness, but there has never been any suggestion the seven-time champion had any involvement.

Hamilton declined to testify and then allegedly changed his phone number without telling Sutil, who was found guilty of grievous bodily harm the following year.

Sutil was handed an 18-month suspended sentence with a fine as a result.

After Hamilton failed to show up, Sutil labelled his fellow driver a 'coward' when speaking to German press. He told Die Welt: "Basically I only had a problem with one person, which was Mr Lux. He has offered me his hand and said that for him, the issue is finished.

"What Lewis Hamilton does is not decisive for my ambitions to get back to Formula 1. Just as with defeats, you have to deal with disappointments, it's as simple as that.

"I think no one should expect to find any friends in the paddock - and I don't look for them there either. I have enough friends outside of F1."

In 2013, Hamilton admitted their relationship had taken a hit, saying: "Things are different, definitely."

"We've spoken a couple of times and we've planned to get together at some stage and just have a chat basically."

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