Toto Wolff and his wife Susie are in agreement regarding the FIA investigation as F1 teams speak out.
The FIA sparked controversy when it revealed that it was looking into two individuals: Toto, the principal of an F1 team, and Susie Wolff, an employee of Formula One Management.
After being publicly linked to an FIA investigation, wife Susie released a strongly worded statement, which Toto Wolff has now endorsed.
A team principal and a FOM employee are the subject of an investigation by Formula 1’s governing body, which made the announcement on Tuesday regarding a possible conflict of interest. Shortly after, managing director of F1 Academy Susie and head of Mercedes Toto were identified by Autosport as the two individuals in question.
However, Mercedes issued a statement claiming that prior to the FIA’s public announcement, the team was unaware of the investigation.
“We wholly reject the allegation in the statement and associated media coverage, which wrongly impinges on the integrity and compliance of our team principal,” said the statement.
In a statement of her own, Mrs. Wolff expressed that she was “deeply insulted but sadly not surprised” by the allegations. “It is disheartening that my integrity is being called into question in such a manner, especially when it seems to be rooted in intimidating and misogynistic behaviour and focus on my marital status rather than my abilities,” she concluded.
I’ve faced and conquered many challenges in my motorsport career, and I won’t allow these unfounded accusations to take away from my commitment to and enthusiasm for F1 Academy.
I have had my share of difficulties as a woman in this sport, but I am steadfast in my resolve to shatter stereotypes and open doors for upcoming generations. I deny these accusations in the strongest terms imaginable.”
Mr. Wolff hasn’t said anything in public about the situation thus far. And even after consenting to an interview with the Austrian publication OE24, he stayed that way. However, the Mercedes CEO “wants to stick with Susie Wolff’s statement” regarding the subject, according to a note at the bottom of the article.
According to some reports, rival teams who were upset about the Wolffs’ behavior had alerted the FIA to the situation.
However, all nine of the teams—aside from Mercedes—released identical statements on Wednesday night in which they refuted filing formal complaints with the regulatory body.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Christian Horner refuted that his Red Bull team had done so. “We have a big rivalry on track, but we haven’t raised any official complaints about Toto, Susie or Mercedes to the FIA,” he stated to the reporter.
Like many others, we were taken aback by the released statement. It was by no means prompted, necessary, or triggered by Red Bull. We haven’t submitted any formal complaints or requests to the FOM or FIA. Yes, Susie and I have been collaborating closely on the F1 Academy, We stand alone among the group as we will be entering three cars into the Academy for 2024.
