The FIA opens an investigation into conflicts of interest between Toto and Susie Wolff and Formula 1

Toto Wolff holds the position of team principal of the Mercedes racing team, and Susie Wolff is the CEO of the F1 Academy, which is managed by the commercial rights holders of F1.

It all started with concerns: Toto Wolff would have had access to confidential information about the activities of the FOM, which are not normally available. Information that other rival team principals do not have, while Susie is well informed about the team principals’ discussions that may be useful to the FOM. This could therefore be considered a conflict of interest.

According to a report from BusinessF1 magazine, Toto Wolff is said to have used information that could only have come from the FOM during a team principal meeting. It was his comments that raised suspicions among the team directors, who went to complain.

Although they have not publicly expressed their concerns about the situation, it appears that the president of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, has been subject to pressures regarding the potential conflict of interest.

The FIA opens an investigation

In response to this, Ben Sulayem asked the FIA Compliance department to investigate. A first statement from the FIA was released on Tuesday. Without directly naming Susie and Toto Wolff, the statement stated that a Formula 1 team manager and a member of the FOM staff should be subject to an investigation following a media report.

The FIA is aware of media speculation surrounding allegations that confidential information may have been transmitted to an F1 team principal by a member of the FOM staff. The FIA compliance department is looking into the matter.

The response from Formula 1

But any suggestion of wrongdoing on the part of Wolff and the FOM has been firmly denied by F1, which manages the F1 Academy. In a strong statement, referring to the fact that it had not been informed of the investigation before it was announced to the media, F1 defended both the Wolff family and its own reputation.

« We take note of the public statement made by the FIA this evening (Tuesday) which was not shared with us in advance », stated the F1. « We are completely convinced that the allegations are false and we have robust processes and procedures in place that ensure the separation of information and responsibilities in cases of potential conflicts of interest. We are confident that no member of our team has made any unauthorized disclosure to a team principal and we caution anyone against reckless and groundless allegations ».

As for Susie Wolff, she was appointed CEO of the F1 Academy in March of this year, after recently serving as the team principal and CEO of the Venturi Formula E team from 2018 to 2022. The Scottish driver is also the founder of the Dare To Be Different initiative, a program designed to promote women’s participation in motorsport. She has since become a speaker at major conferences like the Pendulum Summit 2023 in Dublin.

In her capacity as CEO of the F1 Academy, Susie Wolff reports directly to the CEO of F1, Stefano Domenicali.