Australian racing car champion Joey Mawson’s family have hit back at explosive allegations he raped a nurse at Michael Schumacher‘s European mansion.
It is alleged the attack took place at a cocktail party inside Schumacher’s palatial home in Gland, Switzerland, in 2019.
Mawson was a guest at the mansion when a nurse who was working for the Schumacher’s alleges he came to her room and raped her twice while she was unconscious.
The 29 year-old denies the charge, insisting the pair’s relationship was consensual and that the two had previously shared a kiss at a Geneva nightclub.
Mawson, a rising star in international motorsport, was set to appear in court in Nyons on October 15 but failed to show up, a move that sparked widespread speculation as to his whereabouts.
His parents, Troy and Betty Mawson, have broken their silence to the Daily Mail and said Joey has every intention to front court and will fight to clear his name.
The devoted parents said they are standing firmly by their son and believe he is innocent, slamming the allegations as a ‘set up’.
They declined to discuss specifics in the ongoing legal proceedings, however, they pointed in particular to the lengthy delay between the alleged attack and the charges.
Joey Mawson (pictured in 2018) is accused of the rape of a nurse at F1 legend Michael Schumacher’s mansion
His parents Troy and Betty Mawson rubbished the allegations against Joey (Betty is pictured in Sydney on Tuesday)
The Mawsons did not offer an explanation as to why Joey did not attend his court hearing, but did question why the accusations had only surfaced three years later.
The criminal complaint was filed in 2022, after the nurse was dismissed from her position in the medical team.
It is understood she did not inform the Schumacher family at the time that she was allegedly raped.
Mawson was a close friend and rival of Schumacher’s son Mick and raced against other future racing icons such as Lando Norris and George Russell.
On the night of November 23, 2019, he was staying at the sprawling mansion on the shores of Lake Geneva, according to court documents.
He was playing pool in the billiard room with two other members of the racing icon’s staff when the alleged victim joined them after finishing a tiring shift, the indictment states.
The nurse began to feel unwell after a few drinks and needed to lie down before being taken to bed by her colleagues, it is claimed.
They laid her down ‘without undressing her’ and left her sleeping with the lights on, the documents state.
The alleged attack took place in Schumacher’s mansion (pictured) in Gland, Switzerland
Michael Schumacher (pictured) suffered catastrophic brain injuries during the skiing accident in the French Alps in 2013, and hasn’t been seen in public since
It was shortly afterwards, prosecutors allege, that Mawson returned to the room and twice raped her while she was unconscious.
Neither of the other medics who were present that night reported seeing or hearing anything.
The nurse herself later woke up with no memory of the night’s events.
At the time of the alleged rape Mawson competed in various cups and series, making the most appearances for Team Australia in the Porsche Supercup.
After moving back to Australia, he competed in several series of the S5000 championship, which he conquered twice in 2021 and 2022.
In the midst of the third series in 2023, he was found to have used a banned supplement and was promptly suspended.
He was given a three-year ban running from May 2023 to May 2026 but claimed it was an ‘honest mistake.’
He released a lengthy statement to social media in which he claimed his girlfriend had recommended he take the supplement.
Joey Mawson and Mick Schumacher during the ADAC sportgala ‘Die Nacht der Sieger 2016’ on December 17, 2016 in Munich
‘I will have to pay the consequences of that mistake, losing 3 years of my career along with the damage to my reputation,’ he said.
‘Again I must apologise to my Mum & Dad, Team 88 Racing, Team BRM, ACM Finance, The Sponsorship. Co, Chapel Boxing Fitness and to all my fans & supporters and the motorsport community.
‘I wish to return to racing again after May 13th 2026.
‘I love racing, my passion won’t go away. I miss it everyday so I do hope I can be back in the seat someday.
While Mawson did not attend the court proceedings last month it is believed he went to Gland to speak with legal officials last year about the allegations.
In his absence, the rape trial was formally opened, then adjourned to ‘a date to be fixed.’
The current location of Mawson is unclear, however he is believed to be in Australia.
