SAO PAULO (AP) – Members of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team were robbed at gun point in their minivan while leaving the Formula One race track where Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix will be held.
There were no injuries reported but a shaken Hamilton – who was not present – says on Twitter that “gun shots were fired.” The world champion added that “this happens every single year here” and the news was “so upsetting to hear.”
Mercedes confirmed the incident Saturday and said only that “valuables were stolen.”
Sao Paulo police said they had not received a report of the assault.
Street crime is endemic in Brazil, which has been battered in the last several years by its worst recession in memory. Thieves at the Formula One race in Sao Paulo often target cars stuck in traffic jams.