According to reports from German outlet BILD, the 42-year-old was detained by Stuttgart State Criminal Police officers in the southern German city of Sindelfingen and later brought before a district court judge, who ordered him into pre-trial custody.

Authorities confirmed coordinated raids took place across Monaco, Switzerland and Baden-Wurttemberg as part of the probe.

A spokesman for the Stuttgart public prosecutor’s office said “several premises were searched together with the Baden-Wurttemberg State Criminal Police Office,” while investigators allege Sutil is suspected of “aggravated joint fraud and joint embezzlement.”

No further details on the scale of the case or potential bail conditions have been released, and Sutil has not publicly commented.

Sutil’s arrest marks the second major legal controversy of his career.

In 2011 he received an 18-month suspended prison sentence and a €200,000 ($350,000 AUD) fine after injuring then-Lotus executive Eric Lux with a champagne glass in a Shanghai nightclub.

Lux required 24 stitches, and although Sutil apologised and described the incident as unintentional, the case briefly forced him out of F1 before he returned with Force India in 2013.

The German raced in F1 between 2007 and 2014 for Midland, Spyker, Force India and Sauber, starting 128 grands prix.

He scored 124 points, recorded one fastest lap and, despite several near-misses, holds the record for the most starts in F1 history without a podium finish after Nico Hulkenberg lost that unwanted title earlier this year with his breakthrough podium at the British Grand Prix.

Sutil’s standout result remains fourth place at Monza in 2009. He later served as Williams’ reserve driver in 2015 before stepping away from the grid, and has largely kept a low profile since, most recently competing in the Ferrari Challenge Europe series in 2022 and 2023.