FIA drops compliance probe into Toto and Susie Wolff, says it’s satisfied with current measures
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Mercedes F1 has released a statement defending their team principal Toto Wolff and wife Susie.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON – Formula One’s governing body shelved a probe of power couple Toto and Susie Wolff on Dec 7, saying it was satisfied with existing compliance measures and was not investigating any individual.
The FIA had caused a stir on Dec 5 when it announced it was looking into media speculation about a potential conflict of interest and the transfer of confidential information.
While it did not name any individual, Mercedes F1 and Susie Wolff responded with statements defending their team principal and his wife, who runs the all-female F1 Academy series and reports directly to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. The academy is supported by all the 10 F1 teams.
Teams put on a public show of support on Dec 6 with co-ordinated statements denying they had made any official complaints. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said neither his team nor their junior squad AlphaTauri had voiced unhappiness.
He told Sky Sports: “We have a big rivalry (with Mercedes) on track but we haven’t raised any official complaint either about Susie or Toto or Mercedes to the FIA.
“Red Bull has been the team that has got most involved with F1 Academy since its inception, to the point that we’ll be entering three cars in 2024. We’ve been working closely with Susie, who’s been doing a great job on F1 Academy. So we, like others, were quite surprised by the statement.”
A report in Business F1 magazine had claimed some team principals raised concerns about possible leaks of information from private meetings.
The FIA said in its statement that it was satisfied Formula One Management’s (FOM) compliance management system was “robust enough to prevent any unauthorised disclosure of confidential information”.
It added there is “no ongoing investigation in terms of ethical or disciplinary inquiries involving any individuals”.
“As the regulator, the FIA has a duty to maintain the integrity of global motor sport. The FIA reaffirms its commitment to integrity and fairness.”
Susie Wolff had said she felt “deeply insulted” by the speculation and spoke of “intimidatory and misogynistic behaviour” focused on her marital status rather than her abilities while Mercedes said the speculation “wrongly impinges on the integrity and compliance of our team principal”.
Liberty Media-owned F1 had expressed “complete confidence that the allegations are wrong”. REUTERS
