Mercedes engineer in `theft` row not heading to Ferrari

London: A Mercedes engineer being sued by the world champions after facing accusations of data theft will not be joining rivals Ferrari in the "foreseeable future", the Italian giants said Wednesday.

Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP) revealed Tuesday they were taking legal action against Benjamin Hoyle, who was reported to be on the verge of joining Ferrari at the start of next year.

Mercedes demanded that Hoyle hand over all documents relating to the matter and be prevented from using any of the information in his possession.

However, Ferrari dismissed claims that Hoyle was about to join their staff.

"Ferrari has stressed the point Benjamin Hoyle never had a contract with the company, so he will not be joining us in the foreseeable future," a Ferrari spokesman told www.autosport.com.