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Australian race driver Joey Mawson, once hailed as one of the country's brightest young motorsport stars, is now facing jail if found guilty of raping a nurse at Michael Schumacher's Swiss mansion during a late-night party.
The 29-year-old from Sydney has been indicted in Switzerland for allegedly twice raping Schumacher's nurse at the family's $20million Gland mansion after she was left unconscious from vodka cocktails.
Court documents allege the woman was put to bed by colleagues after feeling unwell, only for Mawson to return later and commit the assault while she was in no state to consent, although the driver strongly denies this version of events.
He says it was consensual, claims a prior relationship with the nurse, and vows to fight the charges, but the case has already tarnished his reputation and drawn unwanted scrutiny on the Schumacher family's closely guarded private life.
The unnamed nurse was part of Schumacher's care team, tending to him since his 2013 skiing accident.
Reports in Switzerland say she initially chose not to press charges but later changed her decision after leaving the Schumacher household, filing the complaint in 2022 which has now led to a formal prosecution.
Mawson, once Australia’s brightest motorsport prospect, now faces rape charges linked to a nurse at Schumacher’s Swiss mansion
The Sydney-born racer rose through European junior categories, sharing podiums with Mick Schumacher [pictured], Lando Norris and Guanyu Zhou
The trial has been officially opened but was adjourned earlier this week after Mawson failed to attend the hearing, meaning the next stage of proceedings will take place on a date yet to be fixed by the Swiss courts.
The driver once spoke about his dreams of following in Schumacher's footsteps into Formula 1 and described the German great as his 'hero'.
Mawson grew up idolising Schumacher and Ayrton Senna, often talking about how he wanted to model his career on their success, and he forged a close friendship with Schumacher's son Mick as the two climbed through the junior ranks together.
Back in 2016, after edging out Mick to win the fiercely contested ADAC Formula 4 Championship, Mawson wrote on Instagram: 'Thank you [Mick] for the rivalry we shared this year, I hope we can meet again in Formula 3 so then like you said, the battle will continue.'
Mick replied in kind with the message: 'Hopefully it will,' showing the deep respect the two teenagers had developed despite fierce on-track clashes that year.
The 2016 title was the high point of Mawson's European career, as he won ten races against a field stacked with future Formula 1 stars including Lando Norris and Guanyu Zhou, instantly marking himself as a prospect to watch.
But as the years went on, his dream of joining the Formula 1 grid began to fade, and setbacks began to mount just as his rivals accelerated towards the top level.
In 2017 he joined the European Formula 3 Championship, but despite flashes of pace he only scored a single podium finish and ended the season down in 13th place overall, while Norris dominated the title fight.
After European struggles, Mawson rebuilt in Australia, winning consecutive S5000 Gold Star titles before his career collapsed again
Court documents allege Mawson raped Schumacher’s nurse in 2019, though he insists the encounter was consensual and denies guilt
The following year he switched to GP3, racing with Arden International, a team linked to Red Bull boss Christian Horner, describing the season beforehand as 'critical' to being noticed by F1 decision makers.
Yet his results fell short of expectations, with just two podiums, no wins, and another 13th place championship finish, effectively ending his path through the traditional F1 feeder system.
By 2019 he had shifted across to sports cars, racing in Porsche Supercup and Carrera Cup Germany, though he never found sustained success in those series either.
It was around this period that he was alleged to have attended the party at the Schumacher residence where the nurse claims she was attacked, an allegation which has resurfaced years later in the criminal indictment.
Mawson eventually returned to Australia, where he was determined to salvage his career by entering the new S5000 open-wheel category, which featured powerful single-seaters on domestic tracks.
In 2021 he won the Australian Drivers' Championship Gold Star, a prestigious title last won by legends of Australian racing, and he successfully defended the crown in 2022, becoming a two-time champion.
Those achievements put him back on the radar of Supercars teams in Australia, with discussions held about giving him an opportunity to transition into touring cars, a move that has helped other open-wheel drivers extend their careers.
But just as a fresh start looked possible, his momentum collapsed again in 2023 when he tested positive for meldonium during a routine doping control at Phillip Island.
Mawson’s friendship with Mick Schumacher deteriorated over years, with reports saying they have not spoken in many years
The once-celebrated Australian karting champion faces uncertain future, his comeback derailed by scandal and looming court proceedings
He was provisionally suspended by Motorsport Australia pending investigation, before being handed a three-year competition ban in September 2024 after both his A and B samples were confirmed positive.
The ban was backdated to May 2023, stripping him of results and barring him from all sanctioned events until May 2026, cutting short his rise at home just as he was regaining attention.
Mawson explained the circumstances by saying he had taken the substance unknowingly, having consumed a supplement recommended by his then girlfriend without realising it contained a prohibited ingredient.
He issued a public statement saying: 'I never intended to take the supplement to enhance my racing.'
'The risk [and] consequences for a driver to take this to have minimal benefit to the overall performance makes absolutely no sense.
'It was an honest mistake and now I will have to pay the consequences of that mistake, losing three years of my career along with the damage to my reputation.'
He also vowed to come back stronger in 2026, saying he 'misses it every day' and would use the time to prepare for a return to the sport.
Now, with the rape case in Switzerland hanging over him, even that comeback is in serious doubt.
The indictment alleges that on November 23, 2019, after a night of drinking with two of Schumacher's other carers in the mansion's billiard room, Mawson assaulted the nurse once she had been carried to bed unconscious.
Prosecutors claim she had been laid down 'without undressing her' by colleagues, before Mawson returned alone and committed the attack, although he denies the allegations outright.
The nurse has no memory of the night itself but later came forward with the complaint after leaving her position with the family in 2022.
Neither Michael Schumacher's family nor Mick Schumacher have been implicated or accused of any wrongdoing in the case, and they have declined to comment on the legal proceedings.
Michael Schumacher has required constant care since falling into a coma in December 2013, and his wife Corinna has shielded him from the public eye, maintaining strict privacy around his condition.
This week, French journalist Stéfan L'Hermitt of L'Equipe suggested there had been some 'positive' signs in Schumacher's health over the past 12 months, though he admitted little is truly known about the seven-time world champion's current state.
He told Le Grand Recit: 'I would say he's not doing well, but he might be getting better because fundamentally we don't know anything.
'This year, he signed a helmet for a charity event. Was it his wife who held his hand? We don't know exactly, but it's the first time we've had a kind of positive sign, almost a sign of life.'
