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The FIA has confirmed there is now “no ongoing investigation” into Toto and Susie Wolff, believing its system to be robust concerning confidential information.
A furore that began on Tuesday, and has dominated F1 over the intervening period, has now been concluded just over 48 hours later.
The FIA announced on Tuesday that its Compliance Department was looking into an allegation that “information of a confidential nature” had been passed to an F1 team principal from a member of FOM personnel, sparked by a report in Business F1 magazine.
Mercedes team principal Wolff and wife Susie, who is managing director of the F1 Academy, were swiftly placed in the harshest of spotlights, resulting in strongly worded statements from both, and F1.
The latest statement from the FIA reads: “Following a review of Formula One Management’s F1 Code of Conduct and F1 Conflict of Interest Policy and confirmation that appropriate protective measures are in place to mitigate any potential conflicts, the FIA is satisfied that FOM’s compliance management system is robust enough to prevent any unauthorised disclosure of confidential information.
“The FIA can confirm that there is no ongoing investigation in terms of ethical or disciplinary inquiries involving any individual.
“As the regulator, the FIA has a duty to maintain the integrity of global motorsport. The FIA reaffirms its commitment to integrity and fairness.”
In response to the FIA statement issued on Tuesday, F1 responded by insisting it had “complete confidence the allegations were wrong” and that “no member of our team has made any unauthorised disclosure to a team principal”.
Demanding swift and full transparency from the FIA, Mercedes said it wholly rejected the allegation in the statement…”which wrongly impinges on the integrity and compliance of our team principal”.
Susie Wolff was equally unequivocal, insisting the allegations against her were “baseless”, and stemmed from “intimidatory and misogynistic behaviour”, and focused on her marital status rather than her abilities.
It was suggested several of Wolff’s rival team principals had complained to the FIA about a potential conflict of interest, adding fuel to the fire for the Compliance Department investigation.
But the nine other teams, in a remarkable show of unity on Wednesday, made clear that no such complaint existed.
