The FIA’s investigation on Toto Wolff and Susie Wolff allegedly passing on confidential information was very short-lived. After a Business F1 magazine report ignited these rumors, the FIA quickly reacted to launch a formal investigation against the Wolffs. However, after much backlash and teams denying their involvement in the complaint, they stopped looking into the matter. Still, Susie Wolff was not pleased and wants to make the FIA accountable for maligning her and her husband’s reputation.
The FIA expressed confidence in the Formula One management’s enforcement procedures while withdrawing the investigation. However, with all the discussion and speculation, things had gone out of their hands as people started to question the Wolff couple’s integrity.
Both husband and wife reacted to this strongly in the media. Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Mercedes boss expressed what he felt was an impulsive decision that hurt their reputation. He said,
“We have millions of people watching us, we have to be examples for what we say and do. The investigation – opened and closed in two days – has done a lot of damage, and it’s not what you expect from the F1 world in general.”
It is difficult to say whether what the FIA did was deliberate or not. But Susie Wolff is certainly not willing to believe otherwise. The F1 Academy director has a high standing in the sport now. Similarly, even Toto Wolff is one of the top bosses in F1. So as far as reputational damage is concerned, Toto cited that,
“the bullet went out of the gun and cannot come back in”.
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The Austrian boss called for some higher standards on such matters in professional sports. The 52-year-old is strongly supporting his wife as he believes she is strong and “will go all the way in every court of law.”
Even Sky Sports’ expert Craig Slater highlighted how Mercedes and FIA are in the midst of a legal exchange. It is difficult to say where the buck will stop on this entire matter. However, Susie Wolff may want some sort of compensation against all the reputational damage, so things may get serious on the legal front, as Slater cited.
Toto Wolff unveils deeper questions on the FIA structure, after controversy against Susie Wolff
Toto Wolff has signed up to be the Mercedes team boss for the next three years. After confirming his extension at Brackley, the Austrian gave an interview to the Telegraph, discussing several things. This involved his views on the aftermath of the controversy against him and his wife Susie Wolff.
The 52-year-old unveiled some deeper questions about the FIA’s leadership and transparency. Wolff felt perplexed about the sudden departures of key FIA employees such as Steve Nielsen, Tim Goss, and Deborah Mayer. The Mercedes boss thinks there should be more stability and transparency in the FIA structure, rather than such big exits.
Major changes at the FIA – senior personnel Steve Nielsen (sporting director) and Tim Goss (technical director) are leaving the governing body. Both are well respected and have a huge amount of #F1 experience.
— The Race (@wearetherace) January 8, 2024
The Austrian boss also highlighted his discontent about the damaging allegations and the FIA investigation that followed. Wolff mentioned that the “damaging” effect of this investigation will stay for a while. He gave an example of how when one searches for Susie Wolff, this controversy is the top result.
Naturally, no leading figure in F1 wants to see such controversies against their name. Especially, when the source of these allegations was unfounded with only media speculations.
