F1 Academy head Susie Wolff ‘deeply insulted’ as FIA opens probe

LONDON – Formula One Academy head Susie Wolff has rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing, after motor sport’s governing body announced an investigation into potential conflict of interests believed to involve her and her husband Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal.

Without naming any individuals or teams, the FIA said that it was “aware of media speculation centred on the allegation of information of a confidential nature being passed to an F1 team principal” from a member of Formula One Management (FOM) personnel.

“The FIA compliance department is looking into the matter,” the governing body said in a statement on Dec 5.

The spotlight has fallen on Toto, the high-profile and outspoken boss of the Mercedes team, and his wife.

She is managing director of the F1 Academy, the women’s competition administered by FOM, which is the company that holds the sport’s commercial rights.

Mercedes have “wholly rejected” suggestions of wrongdoing and Susie, who reports to F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali, issued a strongly worded statement on social media defending herself.

She wrote on Instagram that she was “deeply insulted but sadly unsurprised” by the claims.

The former racer, who was also previously a team boss in the all-electric Formula E series, called the allegations “rooted in intimidatory and misogynistic behaviour, and focused on my marital status rather than my abilities”.

“Throughout my career in motor sport, I have encountered and overcome numerous obstacles and I refuse to let these baseless allegations overshadow my dedication and passion for F1 Academy,” she said.

She added: “In the strongest possible terms, I reject these allegations.”

Mercedes similarly rejected the claims, which initially surfaced in an F1 publication.

The website reported that some principals had expressed concern to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem of a potential conflict of interest, although nothing had been said in public.

It said that Ben Sulayem had asked the compliance department to investigate.

It is understood that the concern was raised simply because of the possibility of the couple being able to exchange confidential information which other parties, in particular other F1 team principals, would not have access to.

“We note the generic statement from the FIA this evening, which responds to unsubstantiated allegations from a single media outlet,” a Mercedes spokesman said in a statement.

“The team has received no communication from the FIA compliance department on this topic and it was highly surprising to learn of the investigation through a media statement.

“We wholly reject the allegation in the statement and associated media coverage, which wrongly impinges on the integrity and compliance of our team principal.”

The team, however, said that they were willing to cooperate with any investigation should it come their way.

“As a matter of course, we invite full, prompt and transparent correspondence from the FIA compliance department regarding this investigation and its contents,” the spokesman added.

Liberty Media-owned F1, meanwhile, said the FIA statement had not been shared in advance and expressed “complete confidence that the allegations are wrong” and that “no member of our team has made any unauthorised disclosure to a team principal”.

It added that it had “robust processes and procedures that ensure the segregation of information and responsibilities in the event of any potential conflict of interest”.

F1 and the FIA have been at loggerheads on a number of issues since Emirati Ben Sulayem took office at the end of 2021.

Some team bosses also raised conflict of interest concerns in 2022 when Shaila Ann-Rao, who had worked as a special adviser to Toto, was appointed the FIA’s interim head of F1.

She left the governing body less than six months later. REUTERS, AFP