Susie Wolff, the managing director of the F1 Academy, has taken legal action against the FIA, Formula 1’s governing body. This action stems from statements made by the FIA in December of last year. At the time, the FIA acknowledged that they were investigating claims of confidential information being shared between an F1 team principal and a member of Formula One Management personnel. While Wolff and her husband, Toto Wolff, were not explicitly named by the FIA, media reports identified them as the relevant parties due to an off-the-record briefing given by Mercedes, the team Toto Wolff manages.
Following these reports, Wolff and her husband received public support from the nine rival teams in F1, who denied any involvement in the alleged complaint and expressed their support for Wolff in her role at the F1 Academy. The FIA subsequently released a statement suggesting that there was no ongoing investigation into the matter, which Wolff found unsatisfactory. She criticized the FIA for making insinuations about her integrity without directly contacting her.
In response to the FIA’s handling of the situation, Wolff has personally filed a criminal complaint in the French courts. She believes that there has been 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 grands prix from the previous year.