Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur strongly criticized the FIA for its handling of the recent controversy involving Toto Wolff and Susie Wolff. Susie Wolff faced allegations of sharing “confidential” information with the Mercedes team principal. The FIA issued a statement based on “media speculation” and a report from a publication, prompting an investigation into the matter without informing F1 or Mercedes in advance.
Although not explicitly named, the statement was clearly directed at Toto Wolff and Susie Wolff. In response, both Mercedes and F1 rejected the allegations and expressed support for Susie Wolff. She, in turn, released a statement accusing the governing body of being misogynistic and questioning her integrity. Surprisingly, all nine other teams in the paddock released similar statements, affirming their support for Susie Wolff and denying any complaints to the FIA.
After the F1 teams united against the FIA, a second statement was issued, announcing that no investigation would take place. The entire saga has heightened tensions between F1 and the FIA, and Vasseur acknowledged that the initial handling of the situation was “embarrassing for our sport.”
Vasseur emphasized the need for caution when dealing with such matters involving individuals and criticized the FIA for not taking the 24 hours between the first and second announcements to investigate and avoid hasty conclusions.
Lewis Hamilton had to ‘negate’ Red Bull rumour https://t.co/C4LHl4eI3D
— Formula1News.co.uk (@Formula1newsUK) December 11, 2023
Despite the controversy, Vasseur acknowledged a positive outcome – the unity of all the F1 teams. He expressed satisfaction with this unprecedented display of unity, noting that even Red Bull showed support for Toto Wolff. Vasseur sees this collective stance as an opportunity for the teams to take a position and engage with other stakeholders, highlighting it as the “first time” such unity has been demonstrated by the teams together.
