All nine of Mercedes’ rival Formula 1 teams have denied making a complaint to the FIA, after it announced it was conducting an investigation over an alleged exchange of confidential information.
The FIA revealed the investigation was ongoing 24 hours ago. Mercedes subsequently issued a statement complaining its team principal, Toto Wolff, had been linked to the allegations in an off-record briefing. Media reports elsewhere, citing an unbylined article in another publication, linked Wolff to the information leak through his wife Susie, who is the managing director of F1 Academy.
FOM and Susie Wolff also issued statements attacking the claims yesterday, the latter accusing those behind the reports of “intimidatory and misogynistic behaviour”.
On Wednesday all nine of the other F1 teams – Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Aston Martin, Alpine, Williams, AlphaTauri, Alfa Romeo and Haas – issued similarly-worded statements denying they had complained to the FIA over the matter. They also voiced support for F1 Academy, a Formula 4 championship exclusively for female drivers and tied to F1, and Susie Wolff.
“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 Formula One Management staff,” read the teams’ statements, which were published within a short period of time on social media on Wednesday evening.
“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.”
The FIA did not name the persons accused of disclosing or revealing the confidential, nor indicate the investigation had been opened as a result of a complaint from a team. The investigation is being handled by its Compliance division, which is headed by Paolo Basarri.
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