Susie Wolff Lodges Criminal Complaint Against FIA Amid Conflict of Interest Probe

Following comments made against her by Formula 1's governing body, Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff's wife Susie Wolff took legal action on Wednesday by submitting a criminal complaint in the French courts. Wolff is a member of F1's executive team and the show's director for the female-centric F1 Academy. The FIA launched its investigation on the Wolffs in early December in response to suspicions of potentially private information exchange and a possible conflict of interest. Media reports about the possible disclosure of sensitive information prompted the FIA to clarify that its compliance division was looking into the claims. A story in the BusinessF1 magazine said that executives from competing teams had expressed worries about the suspected leak of information from private meetings between Toto and Susie Wolff, which led to the probe. The fact that Susie Wolff reports directly to Stefano Domenicali, CEO of Formula One, is noteworthy. 

The other nine Formula One teams quickly followed suit, denying any wrongdoing and issuing virtually similar statements in response to the FIA's announcement that it would open an inquiry. Reiterating its previous position, the FIA said that complaints must be sent to its ethics or compliance committees for investigations to be launched. Within two days, the FIA had finished looking into the matter. Wolffs have dropped hints that they may take legal action against the Paris-based group. On Wednesday, Susie posted on social media to clarify that she had filed an official complaint on March 4th.

Hamilton Praises Susie Wolff

Lewis Hamilton has praised Susie Wolff for standing up to the FIA with a criminal charge, highlighting the critical need for openness and responsibility in Formula 1 and racing. The British racer has spoken out in favour of Wolff, praising her for calling attention to the lack of transparency and accountability inside the organisation and the sport itself. 

These comments come after news broke that a female Red Bull employee—now suspended—had complained to the FIA about Christian Horner's behaviour as team principal. On top of that, the governing body also investigated claims that its president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, tried to influence the officials at the 2023 Saudi Arabian and Las Vegas Grand Prix. Sulayem has since been cleared of any wrongdoing.