Formula 1 teams are under investigation in Italy over alleged unpaid taxes worth "hundreds of millions of euros" linked to races at Monza, Imola and Mugello.
According to Sport e Finanza and other Italian reports, the Guardia di Finanza has launched administrative checks into whether foreign teams correctly handled tax obligations for driver income earned on Italian soil.
The probe, centred in Bologna, stems from a complaint filed by lawyer Alessandro Mei.
"It is undisputed that athletes who earn income in Italy, even if resident abroad, must declare it in Italy and pay taxes there," he said.
Investigators are examining whether teams failed to act as withholding agents on drivers’ salaries - a key requirement under Italian law.
If confirmed, the alleged practice "would constitute a failure to pay the taxes deriving from work activities carried out on national territory," one report said.
The checks remain at an early stage, with no criminal proceedings currently underway, but the issue is not new and has previously been raised at parliamentary level.
"I’m doing this out of a sense of responsibility," Mei said, "given the millions of dollars in tax evasion, should it be discovered."