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Lewis Hamilton believes that Susie Wolff has taken the right stance by filing a criminal complaint against the FIA in France. Speaking to onsite media in Melbourne, the British world champion felt the regulatory body needed to be more transparent and accountable for its actions.
The F1 academy managing director announced through her social media that she had filed a complaint against the FIA, demanding transparency and accountability of their personnel. She believes the behavior of personnel in the regulatory body needs to be called out. This complaint came after the FIA had cleared Mohammed Ben Sulayem of any interference in the Saudi Arabian GP and Las Vegas GP.
Backing Wolff, Lewis Hamilton applauded her stance and believed that filing a case from outside the sport made sense as there is a lack of transparency and accountability with internal inquiries within the sport. He felt that there is a lack of trust in the way the sport is running. Without pointing fingers at the Red Bull matter where the female employee was suspended, the Briton felt that the message given out by the sport where a complaint against it could cost a job is incorrect. He also clarified that the FIA president did not have his support.
As reported by Motorsport Network and other onsite media, Lewis Hamilton commented on Wolff’s case, saying:
“Firstly, I'm incredibly proud of Susie. She's so brave. She stands for such great values. She's such a leader. In a world where often people are silenced, for her to be standing up sends such a great message. I love that she's taking it out of this world, filing it from outside, because there is a real lack of accountability here within this sport, within the FIA. Things that are happening behind closed doors, there is no transparency, there is clearly no accountability.”
“How can you trust the sport and what is happening here if you didn't have that? Hopefully, this stand that she's taken now will create change, have a positive impact, and especially for women. We're living in the time where the message is 'If you file a complaint, you'll be fired.' That is a terrible narrative to be projecting to the world. So, especially when we're talking about inclusivity here in the sport, we need to make sure that we're staying true to the core values here.”
Asked if the FIA president had his support and backing, Lewis Hamilton said:
“He never has.”
George Russell joins Lewis Hamilton in demanding more transparency from the FIA in the sport
George Russell is in agreement with Lewis Hamilton over the lack of transparency in the sport about decisions that are taken. The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association director felt that drivers lacked trust in the way cases transpired in the sport, particularly with the lack of transparency. He felt that matters were swept under the carpet and projected the wrong image to outsiders watching the sport. Similar to the British champion, the 26-year-old backed Wolff in her complaint against the regulatory body of the sport.
Asked by onsite media to comment on Wolff’s complaint against the FIA, Russell agreed with Lewis Hamilton, saying:
“As drivers we have a role within the teams, and you trust that the leaders in this sport have the best interests at their heart rather than their own interests. I think it goes back to the transparency side of things. If things are transparent and we see the outcome of these cases, we all have a chance to judge for ourselves with all of the facts and figures in front of us. But when we don't have the facts and figures, and there is no transparency, you always think there's something being hidden.”
“That's why I think it's so important for the sport now, as Lewis said, to send the right message to everybody who is supporting Formula One, watching Formula One, wants to be involved in Formula One, that things aren't just swept under the carpet.”
Of late the scandals in the sport have started to dent the image of the sport in the public domain and particularly its fanbase. While Bernie Ecclestone’s and Jean Todt’s era in the sport was different from Stefano Domenicali’s and Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s era, accountability transparency and credibility have taken a back seat with a lot of the proceedings in the sport since 2022. Lewis Hamilton has been vocal about it in the past and also felt the recent headlines were not good for the sport.
The Red Bull investigation against Christian Horner has also posed serious questions regarding the position of women in the sport. The lack of transparency in the investigation and the lack of information released have painted a different picture that doesn’t favor the Milton Keynes team, its team principal, or the sport. Understanding the legalities that did not allow transparency in the investigation, the lack of information has led to speculation, rumors, and negative headlines.
