F1 team principal Fred Vasseur tells FIA how they could have better handled Toto and Susie Wolff investigation

Susie Wolff, Toto Wolff, Mercedes, 2021 — Photo: © LAT Images

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F1 team principal tells FIA how they could have better handled Wolff investigation

Last week was a tumultuous one for the sport

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 18 December 2023 10:57

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Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has said that the FIA could have dealt with the Toto and Susie Wolff conflict of interest story in a more 'appropriate' way.

F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff and her husband, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, were understood to be at the centre of an FIA investigation, over a potential conflict of interest which alleged that the pair were benefitting from the passing of confidential information.

These allegations were branded 'misogynistic' by Susie, while all F1 teams released a statement distancing themselves from the complaints that had reportedly been made.

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After a week of speculation, the FIA then released a statement saying that there was no ongoing investigation into the pair at all, a move which Lewis Hamilton said was 'unacceptable'.

Susie Wolff and husband Toto Wolff were under intense pressure over an alleged conflict of interest

Toto Wolff and Fred Vasseur are rivals on the track

Lewis Hamilton said that the FIA's investigation into the Wolffs was 'unacceptable'

Embarrassing for F1

Vasseur has now given his thoughts on the whole incident, providing the FIA with some thinking to do about how they dealt with the events of the week.

“I think this story is quite embarrassing for our sport,” Vasseur said when asked by Motorsport.com.

“The story started with an article in a newspaper, I don't know if newspaper is the right word. And I think in this situation when you are speaking about an individual, you have to take care of what you are saying.

“I think it would have been appropriate from the FIA; they needed 24 hours between the [first] announcement and the second announcement.

"It would have made sense to use the 24 hours before the first announcement [to investigate], to avoid any bad conclusions."

Ferrari Mercedes FIA Toto Wolff Fred Vasseur Susie Wolff