F1 Academy boss Susie Wolff has filed a criminal complaint over the FIA’s short-lived investigation into her and husband Toto last year.
Motor racing’s governing body last year announced an investigation over an alleged conflict of interest between Susie and Toto Wolff, boss of the Mercedes F1 team.
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The FIA acted following a report in Business F1 magazine, which said at least one rival team boss had voiced concerns about leaks of information from private meetings.
After going public, the FIA quickly announced it had dropped the investigation, but the Wolffs said they were looking at legal options.
On Thursday, ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, Wolff confirmed she has lodged a legal complaint.
“I can confirm that I personally filed a criminal complaint in the French courts on the 4th of March in relation to the statements made about me by the FIA last December,” Wolff said in a social media post.
“There has still not been any transparency or accountability in relation to the conduct of the FIA and its personnel in this matter.
“I feel more than ever it is important to stand up, call our improper behaviour and make sure people are held to account.
“While some might think silence absolves them from responsibility – it does not.”
The FIA declined to comment on Wolff’s statement when approached by ESPN.
Transparency — or, rather, a lack thereof — has become the biggest talking point in F1 this year.
Several hours before Wolff’s statement, the FIA announced an independent investigation had cleared its own president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, of wrongdoing after whistleblower accusations he had sought to interfere in the outcome of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and had sought to withhold the certification of the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit ahead of its debut race.
The Ben Sulayem investigation lasted 30 days and included interviews with 11 witnesses.
F1 has also been under a cloud for much of the last few months due to the saga around Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
Horner was subject to an internal Red Bull GmbH investigation for an allegation of inappropriate behaviour, but was cleared of misconduct in early March.
Horner’s investigation was carried out by an independent barrister and included interviews with over 40 members of the Red Bull F1 team.
The woman who made the complaint has since been suspended by Red Bull.
F1 team bosses such as Wolff and McLaren’s Zak Brown have called on F1 and the FIA to take a closer look at the investigation themselves.
Red Bull GmbH is yet to release further information into either the Horner verdict or why the female employee was suspended.
Source: www.espn.com