Former Formula 1 driver Adrian Sutil is in pre-trial custody over alleged fraud charges. But now, according to an update from his lawyer, Dirk Schmitz, the German racing driver is claimed to be the victim of an extortion plot, with him and his family all targeted in a blackmail scheme. This has resulted in the loss of a number of high-priced vehicles valued at approximately €17million.
Sutil's legal representative confirmed that nine luxury vehicles were taken from his private garage in Monaco. Included in this collection was a Mercedes 600, previously owned by the late singer and actor Elvis Presley.
"The message was clear – cars out, or else," Schmitz said via a report from Auto Motor und Sport, which also stated that the blackmail began with an anonymous phone call from someone who called themselves "Vladimir" and apparently belonged to the Russian Wagner Group. When a group arrived to collect the cars, they allegedly strongly threatened the Sutil family.
The cars taken include a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a Ferrari California, a Koenigsegg Regera, and a Koenigsegg One:1, as well as a number of other sports cars.
"These cars are so unique that they can hardly go unnoticed," Schmitz continued. But according to reports, the cars may have already been transported out of the country in what is expected to be an organised operation with connections to Russia and Eastern Europe.
After alleged threats following this, the family filed a criminal report on 31 December 2025, which is being managed by Stuttgart's public prosecutor's office and the Baden-Württemberg State Criminal Police Office, alongside teams in Monaco and at Interpol.
This news comes after the former driver was arrested in 2025 in connection with allegations of fraud, according to German publication BILD.
"Several premises were searched together with the Baden-Württemberg State Criminal Police Office," a spokesman from the Stuttgart public prosecutor’s office said at the time. "According to investigators, he is suspected of 'aggravated joint fraud and joint embezzlement'."
Sutil has denied the allegations.
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