‘Allegation requires further explanation, trust that these are incorrect’
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff was accused of a conflict of interest on Tuesday. Toto and his wife Susie Wolff could exchange sensitive information as team boss and boss of the F1 Academy respectively. Mercedes comes to the rescue for Wolff and Formula 1 also believes in the innocence of its employee.
The English monthly magazine Business F1 Magazine wrote on Tuesday that Wolff passed on sensitive information from secret meetings with other team bosses to his wife. His wife Susie Wolff, the boss of the F1 Academy, is said to have leaked this information to Stefano Domenicali, the CEO of Formula 1. As a result, Domenicali quickly became aware of the secret information, the team bosses believe. The Austrian thus poses a leak for participating F1 teams. Conversely, Toto would also have information from Formula 1 that other team bosses could not obtain.
In a statement, the FIA said it was “aware of media speculation surrounding the accusation that a FOM staff member passed on confidential information to a Formula 1 team principal.” The federation says it will look further into the matter.
Mercedes responded later in the evening on Tuesday: “We have received a general statement from the FIA, responding to unfounded accusations from a single medium and an off-the-record addition that it concerns the Mercedes team boss,” it reports team. Mercedes firmly rejects the FIA’s accusations: “They do not do justice to the integrity of our team boss. We naturally look forward to further explanation from the FIA integrity department about this investigation.”
Formula 1, in turn, stands up for Susie Wolff: “We fully trust that the allegations are incorrect,” reports Formula 1. “We have procedures in place in the event of a possible conflict of interest. We trust that no one from our team disclosed matters to a team principal and warns everyone not to make reckless and serious accusations.” Susie herself was not happy with the allegations. In a response, she said she was “severely insulted”: “It appears that the accusations are motivated by intimidating and misogynistic behavior. I reject these allegations in the strongest possible terms.”
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