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Susie Wolff has lashed out at the FIA for the investigation against her and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. The sport's governing body issued a statement on Tuesday that the compliance unit was looking into the media speculation of a possible flow of confidential information between FOM personnel and a team principal.
The media speculation comes from a report published by BusinessF1 magazine that claimed team principals pointing out how Toto Wolff knew information that only FOM personnel should be privy to.
Responding to the report, FIA issued a statement on Tuesday. Although neither Mercedes boss Toto Wolff nor Susie Wolff were mentioned, it was clear that the statement was made keeping the two in mind.
Susie Wolff has since then released a statement rejecting the allegations and claiming that it was rooted in intimidatory and misogynistic behavior.
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"It is disheartening that my integrity is being called into question in such a manner. Especially when it seems to be rooted in intimidatory and misogynistic behaviour, and focused on my marital status rather than my abilities. Throughout my career in motorsport, I have encountered and overcome numerous obstacles and I refuse to let these baseless allegations overshadow my dedication and passion for F1 Academy," she said in a statement released on her social media handles
“As a woman in this sport, I have faced my fair share of challenges but my commitment to breaking down barriers and paving the way for future generations to succeed remains unwavering. In the strongest possible terms, I reject these allegations,” Susie added.
Mercedes issues a statement in retaliation to the FIA's investigation
Mercedes has also released a statement in what seems to be a retaliation to FIA's investigation. The German team has pointed out that the unsubstantiated allegation from a single media outlet has been taken as a basis and Mercedes was not even informed before putting out a public statement.
Mercedes said in a statement released on the team's social media handles and its website:
"We note the generic statement from the FIA this evening, which responds to unsubstantiated allegations from a single media outlet, and the off-record briefing which has linked it to the Team Principal of Mercedes-AMG F1. The Team has received no communication from the FIA Compliance Department on this topic and it was highly surprising to learn of the investigation through a media statement."
"We wholly reject the allegation in the statement and associated media coverage, which wrongly impinges on the integrity and compliance of our Team Principal. As a matter of course, we invite full, prompt, and transparent correspondence from the FIA Compliance Department regarding this investigation and its contents," the statement added.
It will be interesting how the story develops and one can expect a few more fireworks in the coming days.
