Anthony Hamilton files a lawsuit against Paul Di Resta
It seems that F1 is moving from one legal issue to another: this time, it's Anthony Hamilton, the father of the 2008 world champion, who is suing his former protégé Paul Di Resta for wrongful termination of contract and loss of earnings.
In early July, we reported on the split between the Force India driver and his manager. At the time, Paul di Resta did not elaborate on the matter and simply stated: “I think everything has been said. I confirm that we are no longer working together. It has been reported and that is the current state of affairs. I am simply focusing on the competition. Ultimately, it’s the result that counts and that’s what drives me forward.”
It seems today that the breakup did not occur by mutual consent, judging by the complaint filed by Anthony Hamilton with the British justice system. According to information from the Telegraph, the dispute arose around the signing of a personal sponsorship contract with the energy drink Go Fast.
Indeed, he reportedly presented Anthony Hamilton with a €5.5 million contract prepared by his friend Jordan Wise. His manager would have then advised him to start by buying back his rights to be sponsored by energy drinks from his employer, Force India. For Anthony Hamilton, these rights amounted to nearly two million euros. This allowed for a substantial financial gain thanks to his agreement with the energy drink, even if one had to account for the various commissions to be paid.
Nevertheless, Paul di Resta did not hear any more about the negotiations with Force India to buy back his famous rights. He apparently ended up discussing it directly with his team during the Chinese Grand Prix, which assured him that the rights in question were valued at only a million euros! This led to his decision to part ways with his manager’s advice since he felt the manager wasn’t working in his best interests.
This affair puts Lewis Hamilton in a most embarrassing situation since Paul di Resta is now receiving advice from Richard Goddard, the manager and now associate of Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton’s teammate at McLaren! Seeing his father and former manager at the center of a legal battle with one of his direct competitors, now advised by his teammate’s manager, is not an ideal situation to prepare for a tough fight for the world championship…
However, given the nature of the complaints, it is highly likely that both parties will reach an out-of-court settlement, with a payment of damages deemed acceptable by each side to avoid exposing the financial underpinnings of F1 to the public…
With the participation of RacingBusiness.fr
