The Mercedes Formula 1 team has responded after the FIA launched an investigation into an alleged conflict of interest involving Toto Wolff.
The FIA is believed to be responding to complaints from other team principals about information Wolff may have shared with his wife Susie.
Susie Wolff is currently the CEO of the F1 Academy series, managed by Formula One Management (FOM). There were concerns that Toto Wolff may have access to confidential details of FOM operations, while his wife Susie may have discussed this information strictly between team principals.
Mercedes confirmed it was confident Wolff had committed no wrongdoing and revealed it only became aware of the investigation through the FIA and a public statement.
“We note the FIA’s public statement this evening responding to baseless media allegations and the off-the-record press conference linking it to the head of the Mercedes-AMG F1 team,” the statement read.
“The team has not received any communication from the FIA’s compliance department regarding this matter and it was very surprising to hear about the investigation through the media.
“We completely reject the claims made in the statement and in the surrounding media that falsely suggest the integrity and compliance of our team manager.
“Of course, we are asking the FIA’s enforcement department for full, speedy and transparent correspondence about this investigation and its content.”
Formula 1 itself also released a statement following the FIA’s announcement, denying any allegations of wrongdoing. – We note the public statement made by the FIA tonight, which was not shared with us before, the statement says.
“We are fully confident that the allegations are false and have robust processes and procedures to ensure segregation of information and accountability in the event of potential conflicts of interest.
We are confident that none of our team members have made unauthorized disclosures to a team leader, and we caution anyone against making rash and serious accusations without substance.
