Formula One teams deny complaining to FIA about Toto and Susie Wolff

LONDON – Formula One teams on Dec 6 denied complaining to the governing FIA about Mercedes principal Toto Wolff and his wife Susie, who runs the sport’s all-female F1 Academy series.

The paddock’s power couple was in the spotlight after the FIA issued a surprise statement a day earlier announcing its compliance department was looking into media speculation about a potential conflict of interest.

According to a report in Business F1 magazine, some team principals had raised concerns about possible leaks of information from private meetings.

Nine of the 10 teams, all except Mercedes who issued their reaction on Dec 5, then published almost identical statements via social media that effectively undermined the premise of the investigation.

“We can confirm that we have not made any complaint to the FIA regarding the allegation of information of a confidential nature being passed between an F1 team principal and a member of FOM (Formula One Management) staff,” they said.

“We are pleased and proud to support F1 Academy and its managing director (Susie Wolff) through our commitment to sponsor an entrant in our liveries from next season.”

The F1 Academy aims to help women climb the motorsport ladder to Formula One and is supporting seven grands prix next season. All 10 teams each nominate a driver and will have their livery on a car.

Susie Wolff, a former racer who reports to Formula One chief Stefano Domenicali and is one of the most senior women in motorsport, issued her own statement on Dec 5 saying she felt "deeply insulted" to have her integrity questioned.

She spoke also of “intimidatory and misogynistic behaviour” that was “focused on my marital status rather than my abilities”.

Mercedes rejected allegations against Toto Wolff that it said “wrongly impinges on the integrity and compliance of our team principal”.

Liberty Media-owned Formula One, meanwhile, expressed “complete confidence that the allegations are wrong”.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner said his team had a big rivalry on track with championship runners-up Mercedes, but had not raised any official complaint against the couple or Mercedes to the FIA.

“I think we, like others, were quite surprised (by) the statement that came out last night. It certainly wasn’t instigated or required or set off by Red Bull,” he added.

“This is an FIA thing. They’ve taken this action but certainly nothing to do with Red Bull.”

Toto Wolff and Horner have had a fierce, and sometimes almost theatrical, rivalry over the years fuelled by the popular Netflix docu-series Drive to Survive.

Formula One and the FIA have also been at loggerheads repeatedly since Mohammed Ben Sulayem took the helm at the end of 2021. REUTERS