The Formula 1 teams have issued statements denying that they have filed a complaint against Toto and Susie Wolff.
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This Tuesday (5), F1 governing body, the FIA, released a statement claiming that an investigation was being carried out into Toto and Susie’s conduct. While Susie serves as director of the F1 Academy, the sport’s junior category for aspiring female drivers, Toto is the team principal of Mercedes.
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A report published in Business F1 magazine suggested that a comment made by Toto at a recent team bosses’ meeting had raised concerns among rivals that he was receiving confidential information from his wife, Susie.
Mercedes and F1 had already published statements denying the allegations. Susie herself said that she was “deeply insulted but sadly unsurprised”, in a social media post, and described the allegations as “intimidatory and misogynistic”. Now, the other nine teams have released coordinated statements that also deny the accusations.
“We can confirm that we have not made any complaint to the FIA regarding the allegation of information of a confidential nature being passed between an F1 team principal and a member of FOM [F1] staff. We are pleased and proud to support F1 Academy and its managing director through our commitment to sponsor an entrant in our liveries from next season”, said all the statements.
The controversy has been interpreted by leading F1 figures as the result of a fight between Toto Wolff and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. According to inside sources, Sulayem has taken issue with the Mercedes team principal’s interventions in recent months, both in public and in private, on F1-related issues.