Aussie racing star who was found not guilty of raping Michael Schumacher's nurse breaks his silence after verdict

Aussie motorsport star Joey Mawson has announced he is resurrecting his career as he broke his silence with a defiant statement after being cleared of raping F1 icon Michael Schumacher's nurse.

Mawson, 30, was accused of raping the nurse twice on November 23, 2019, while he was staying at a mansion owned by 57-year-old Schumacher in Gland, near Geneva in Switzerland.

Mawson vehemently denied the allegations, and previously stated that the sex was consensual.

In a judgment last Friday, the court ruled there was 'insufficient evidence' to convict Mawson and he was allowed to leave a free man with 'no stain on his character', the judge said.

Luc Vaney, Mawson's lawyer, told the Daily Mail: 'He is free to go. He is innocent. He will now return to Australia and make his future and get on with his life.'

On Tuesday night, Australian time, Mawson posted a statement on Instagram in which he announced he is 'turning the page' after winning his legal battle.

'For the past three years, I have remained largely silent while navigating one of the most difficult periods of my life,' he wrote.

'During that time, I faced false allegations and the challenge of defending my name under intense public scrutiny. From the very beginning, I maintained my innocence and trusted that the truth would prevail.'

Mawson thanked his legal team 'for their tireless work' as well as his family, friends and supporters for standing by him as he faced the charge.

'Today, I am turning the page,' he continued.

'I am proud to announce my return to motorsport. I cannot wait to put my helmet back on, get behind the wheel, and focus on what has always been my greatest passion: racing.

'The past does not define me. My focus is on the future, and I am excited for what lies ahead. Thank you for continuing this journey with me.

'See you at the racetrack!'

During the trial, a court in Nyon, Switzerland, heard allegations that the nurse woke up in pain on blood-stained bedsheets after being allegedly sexually assaulted by the racing driver.

Mawson had spent the evening with several of Schumacher's employees, during which the nurse consumed a substantial amount of alcohol.

According to the indictment, she became so intoxicated that she was unable to stand, fell to the floor and was carried to her room, fully clothed, by staff.

Prosecutors alleged that the rape later took place in that room.

The court gave the woman 30,000 Swiss francs ($53,400) in compensation for moral harm, money she can claim in further civil proceedings, according to the German newspaper Bild.

Mawson explained in court on Tuesday that he had spent the night at the nurse's apartment, claiming he stayed there until dawn because he 'didn't want the employees to know about the intimate moment we had together'.

He added: 'I hadn't realised how drunk I actually was. It wasn't until the next morning that I realised how drunk I had been.

'During the night, I had assumed she was less drunk than I realised the next morning.'

Mawson was once hailed as one of Australia's brightest young motorsport stars.

He 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.

Winning the 2016 ADAC Formula 4 Championship was the high point of Mawson's European career, as he won 10 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.

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 time that he attended the party at the Schumacher residence where the nurse alleges she was attacked.

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 that has also been won by legends of Australian racing, and he successfully defended the crown in 2022, becoming a two-time champion.

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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.

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 13, 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.'