Conflict of interest Wolff, the teams play with their cards exposed
The potential conflict of interest involving Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and his wife Susie becomes a mystery. The alleged passing of confidential information by the general director of the F1 Academy to the Austrian was, according to the FIA, the subject of complaints by one or more teams. But in the last few minutes all rivals have published an identical statement in which they say they have not requested any action from the FIA, which however launched an internal investigation yesterday.
The statement
“We can confirm that we have not made any complaints to the FIA regarding the alleged transmission of information of a confidential nature between an F1 Team Principal (Toto Wolff, ed.) and a member of FOM staff (Susie Wolff, ed.). We are pleased and proud to support F1 Academy and its general director through our commitment to sponsor a competitor with our liveries starting next season“.
Horner’s words
Horner, in an interview with Sky Sports UKhe added: “We have a great rivalry with Mercedes on the track, but we have not made any official complaints to the FIA about either Susie or Toto or Mercedes. In fact, Red Bull has been the most involved team in F1 Academy since its inception, to the point that in 2024 we will participate with three cars. So I think we, like others, were surprised by last night’s announcement, but it certainly wasn’t instigated, requested or initiated by Red Bull. We have not made any official complaints or requests to the FIA or the FOM. But I can’t speak for others. It’s a matter for the FIA, who took this action, but as I said, it certainly has nothing to do with Red Bull“.
Different times
From the first press release that arrived (Haas, at 6.30pm) to the last (Sauber (at 7.06pm) 36 minutes passed. It is strange that the press releases did not arrive in joint form, all having the same text. And, even if they had been studied by team and then published by the nine official profiles, why not have them shared together but more than half an hour apart? Is it possible that some team therefore “bluffed”? This is naturally a hypothesis which, without a response from the FIA , can never be confirmed. And, assuming that all the teams are in good faith, it could be a joint action by the teams against the Federation, in the context of the fight between the FIA and Liberty Media, respectively the organizers and holders of the commercial rights of the championship (which yesterday responded with a harsh statement.) However, if this scenario were confirmed, it would not be clear why the Federation had to invent the request for action by a team principal, leaving it open to public denial.
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