Susie Wolff, Managing Director of the F1 Academy, has taken legal action against the FIA, the governing body of Formula 1. This action stems from statements made by the FIA in December of last year. At the time, the FIA acknowledged that it was investigating allegations of confidential information sharing between a F1 team principal and a Formula One Management staff member. Although Wolff and her husband, Toto Wolff, were not explicitly mentioned by the FIA, media reports identified them as the relevant parties due to an off-the-record briefing provided by Mercedes, the team managed by Toto Wolff.
Following these reports, Wolff and her husband received public support from the nine rival F1 teams, who denied any involvement in the alleged disclosure and expressed their support for Wolff in her role at the F1 Academy. Subsequently, the FIA released a statement suggesting that there was no ongoing investigation into the matter, which Wolff found unsatisfactory. She criticized the FIA for insinuating about her integrity without directly contacting her.
In response to the way the FIA handled the situation, Wolff personally filed a criminal complaint in French courts. She believes there was a lack of transparency and accountability in the FIA’s conduct and is seeking legal recourse. The complaint was filed on March 4, and Wolff’s announcement coincides with the FIA’s statement clearing its president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, of allegations of interference in two F1 races from the previous year.
