Toto Wolff didn’t even have time to tremble. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) has ruled that there is no conflict of interest regarding the boss of the Mercedes Formula 1 team and has ended its investigation.
“The FIA considers that the FOM’s compliance management system [la société détentrice des droits commerciaux de la F1] is sufficiently robust to prevent any unauthorized disclosure of confidential information,” the international body revealed in a press release. “The FIA confirms that there are no ongoing ethics or disciplinary investigations involving anyone,” it continued.
A reaction to information published in the press
Without ever mentioning a name or team, the international federation announced earlier this week that it was looking into a potential conflict of interest after having “become aware of speculation in the media surrounding the allegation according to which confidential information had been transmitted to an F1 team principal by a member of FOM staff”.
According to Business F1 media, team bosses involved in F1 would have notably expressed internally their concerns as to whether Susie Wolff, general director of the F1 Academy (the women’s competition administered by the FOM) and her husband, at the head of the Mercedes team , were able to exchange information supposed to remain confidential. “We completely reject these accusations” concerning “the integrity and compliance of our team principal,” Mercedes reacted in a press release published a few hours after the FIA’s announcement.
Susie Wolff also reacted on X (ex-Twitter), saying she felt “deeply insulted, but not surprised” by these accusations. “It is disheartening that my integrity is being questioned in this way, especially when it appears to be rooted in intimidating and misogynistic behavior, and when it focuses on my marital status rather than my skills,” she wrote. by rejecting the “allegations with the greatest firmness”.
Wednesday evening, the day after the announcement of the investigation launched by the federation, each of the nine other teams involved in F1 supported the Wolff couple, affirming in separate – but identical – press releases “not having transmitted the slightest complaint to of the FIA”. We can be competitors in an environment that generates hundreds of millions of euros and stick together.