Daniel Ricciardo at centre of extraordinary $18m lawsuit
Daniel Ricciardo's former advisor is suing the Australian for more than £10 million (AU$18 million) over alleged unpaid commissions following the driver’s move to Renault.
Autosport has revealed Ricciardo's ex-agent Glenn Beavis is claiming the damages in the United Kingdom High Court of Justice.
Ricciardo shocked the sport last year when he announced he would leave Red Bull to take up a two-year deal with Renault ahead of the 2019 F1 season.
The 30-year-old subsequently split with Beavis, ending a partnership that began in 2012, to sign with American talent agency giants CAA Sports.
Earlier this month, Beavis served claims that he is owed a debt of 20 per cent commission on Ricciardo's base salary at Renault and a number of contractual details.
Ricciardo denies that to be the case and will fight Beavis in court.
"There is no substance to Glenn Beavis's claim," Ricciardo told Autosport.
"It is unfortunate that he has decided to bring this wholly unmeritorious claim which I intend to fully defend in the court process."
Long-term discussions pay off
According to the documents filed by Beavis, he first discussed the driver’s move to Renault midway through 2017.
Based on Beavis's claim for £10m (AU$18m) it is suggested that Ricciardo's base salary with Renault is more than £20m – or AU$35m – per year.
"In December 2018, Beavis claims Ricciardo wanted to terminate their agreement with immediate effect," Autosport reports.
"This was delayed until the end of January 2019 as Beavis allegedly requested time to complete the long-form of the Renault F1 driver contracts.
"However, according to the claim these contracts were not finalised and signed by the end of January and Beavis continued to provide services to Ricciardo beyond that date.
"Ricciardo's Renault contract was eventually concluded on March 7, 10 days before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix."
The issues behind the lawsuit
The court claims comes after Beavis, who submitted an invoice for the 20 per cent fee, says he was informed twice that he was not due any commission from the Renault contract.
He is said to have been told first in early April by a company acting on behalf of Ricciardo and his company, and again in late May by Ricciardo's lawyers.
Other aspects to the £10m claim include commission on potential deals for two brand ambassador roles and an appearance in an F1 film.
Read the full story on the lawsuit here
with Autosport