Ferrari have confirmed that the engineer at the centre of a legal suit by Mercedes, won’t be joining the Italian outfit in the “foreseeable future”.
Benjamin Hoyle is accused of stealing confidential data from Mercedes High Performance Powertrains before handing in his resignation, with documents indicating he was offered a job with Mercedes rival Ferrari from December.
Mercedes has therefore taken legal action against Hoyle, claiming “Mr Hoyle and potentially Ferrari have gained an unlawful advantage”, by stealing data.
However Ferrari have moved to distance themselves from the fall out, a spokesperson confirming to Autosport that Hoyle won’t be joining the team any time soon, nor had they signed any contracts with the engineer.
“Ferrari has stressed the point Benjamin Hoyle never had a contract with the company, so he will not be joining us in the foreseeable future.”
Mercedes are seeking compensation from Hoyle, as well as blocking him from working for any Formula 1 team until at least 2017.