Lewis Hamilton rips into FIA leaders as Brit angry at ‘unacceptable’ situation
Lewis Hamilton has taken aim at the FIA over its conflict of interest investigation surrounding Susie and Toto Wolff. The Mercedes star has accused Formula One’s governing body of questioning the integrity of ‘one of the most incredible’ women leaders in the sport.
On Tuesday, the FIA announced it was investigating an allegation that confidential information was being passed between a team member and a member of the sport’s owners Formula One Management (FOM).
The investigation was centred around Mercedes team principal Wolff and his wife, Susie, who is the managing director of the F1 academy, the all-female series run by FOM. In an embarrassing episode for the FIA, it has since backed down from its investigation after effectively admitting that neither party had a case to answer.
Mercedes star Hamilton has slammed the episode as ‘disappointing’ and ‘unacceptable’, insisting that the FIA has wrongly called into question the integrity of Mrs Wolff.
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Hamilton said: “Disappointing to see the governing body of our sport has sought to question the integrity of one of the most incredible female leaders we’ve ever had in our sport in Susie Wolff without questioning and without any evidence. It’s unacceptable.
“There is a constant fight to really improve diversity and inclusion within the industry. It seems there are certain individuals in the leadership of the FIA that every time we try and make a step forward they are trying to pull us back, and that has to change.”
The FIA shunted its own investigation on Thursday. It said: “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.
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“The FIA can confirm that there is no ongoing investigation in terms of ethical or disciplinary inquiries involving any individual.”
The investigation appears to have been prompted by a solitary media report. Mrs Wolff criticised the allegation as “insulting” and rooted in “intimidatory and misogynistic behaviour”. In an unprecedented move, every F1 team published a near-identical denial that they had reported the allegation to the FIA.
Hamilton was speaking at the FIA end-of-season gala. Having come third in the 2023 drivers’ championship, the 38-year-old will attend alongside world champion Max Verstappen and the Dutchman’s Red Bull colleague Sergio Perez.
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