Susie Wolff has launched legal proceedings against the FIA after statements relating to a potential conflict of interest investigation that led to her integrity being questioned.
In December, the FIA issued a statement that said it was “aware of media speculation centered on the allegation of information of a confidential nature being passed to an F1 team principal from a member of FOM personnel”, adding that the FIA Compliance Department was looking in to the matter.
The statement came after a singular report that named Susie and Toto Wolff, and two days later – after all 10 teams came out in support of the F1 Academy managing director – the FIA backtracked. The governing body said it had reviewed the FOM F1 Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest policies, and that there was no ongoing investigation.
At the time, Wolff had rejected the allegations “in the strongest possible terms” and then stated she was going to follow up to find out who instigated the situation, calling for transparency and accountability. Having not felt that has been forthcoming, Wolff says she has now launched legal proceedings.
“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.
“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 behavior and make sure people are held to account.
“While some might think silence absolves them from responsibility – it does not.”
Wolff’s statement was made just a matter of hours after the FIA Compliance Department had announced it had cleared the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem of any wrongdoing following allegations he attempted to interfere with the race result of the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and also tried to prevent the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit from being certified.