Both Toto and Susie Wolff have released statements demanding “transparency” over the “unfounded” FIA investigation into the pair’s alleged conflict of interest.
The sport’s governing body announced on Tuesday that the FIA Compliance Department was looking into a supposed case of confidential information being exchanged.
According to the report by BusinessF1, Toto Wolff made a comment in a recent meeting that could only have been made based on information handed down by the FOM.
While the FIA reframed from listing specific names, the wording clarified that it involved an active Formula 1 team principal and a member of FOM personnel.
Toto Wolff is currently the team boss of Mercedes’ F1 team, a position he has held since 2013, while Susie Wolff is the Managing Director of the all-female F1 Academy series.
F1 and Mercedes both denounced the allegations in swift statements while equally criticising the FIA for failing to notify either party about its pending investigation.
Meanwhile, the other nine teams on the F1 grid put on a united front by posting a collective statement that denied the notion that any of them had prompted the FIA’s action.
On behalf of Mercedes, Toto Wolff has posted a statement revealing that the couple is currently in legal talks with the FIA and want to understand why the episode occurred.
“We understand that there is significant media interest in the events of this week. We are currently in active legal exchange with the FIA,” Wolff said.
“We await full transparency about what took place and why, and have expressly reserved all legal rights.
“Therefore we ask for your understanding that we will not be commenting officially for now, but we will certainly address the matter in due course.”
Having previously branded the allegations “baseless” and rooted “in intimidatory and misogynistic behaviour”, Susie Wolff has condemned the FIA’s latest response.
“When I saw the statement issued by the FIA yesterday evening, my first reaction was: ‘Is that it?’” Wolff said on social media.
“For two days, insinuations have been made about my integrity in public and through background briefings, but nobody from the FIA has spoken to me directly.
“I might have been collateral damage in an unsuccessful attack on somebody else, or the target of a failed attempt to discredit me personally, but I have worked too hard to have my reputation called into question by an unfounded press release.”
Wolff also expressed gratefulness to the other F1 teams for their collective show of solidarity, adding that she intends to hold accountable those who instigated the incident.
“We have come a long way as a sport. I was extremely thankful for the unified support of the Formula 1 teams,” she continued.
“I have worked with so many passionate women and men at F1 and the FIA, who have the very best interests of our sport at heart.
“However, this episode has so far taken place without transparency or accountability. I have received online abuse about my work and my family. I will not allow myself to be intimidated and intend to follow up until I have found out who has instigated this campaign and misled the media.
“What happened this week is simply not good enough. As a sport, we must demand, and we deserve, better.”
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