Mercedes fire back at FIA following ‘unsubstantiated allegations’ regarding Toto Wolff
Mercedes are working around the clock to get the W15 ready in time for launch.
Mercedes has firmly denied allegations regarding Toto Wolff and criticised the FIA for their handling of the announcement.
The FIA announced on Tuesday that they had opened an investigation regarding a potential leak of secret information to an unnamed team principal, with the governing body responding following recent media allegations suggesting a transfer of confidential information from an employee of FOM (Formula One Management).
The announcement appears to have come as a bolt from the blue for many of the associated parties, with Mercedes, FOM, and Susie Wolff all issuing separate statements in the hours since the FIA confirmation.
Mercedes issue statement on handling of FIA announcement
The FIA has refused to confirm whether it is Wolff they were looking into, following a controversial report published in the BusinessF1 magazine, but Mercedes has acknowledged the FIA’s briefing has linked his name.
A statement from Mercedes read: “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 [Toto Wolff].
“As a matter of course, we invite full, prompt, and transparent correspondence from the FIA Compliance Department regarding this investigation and its contents.”
Formula 1 itself, with whom Susie Wolff, Toto’s wife, is employed, also commented suggesting that there had been no breach.
A statement from FOM, provided to PlanetF1.com, said: “We note the public statement made by the FIA this evening that was not shared with us in advance.
“We have complete confidence that the allegations are wrong, and we have robust processes and procedures that ensure the segregation of information and responsibilities in the event of any potential conflict of interest.
“We are confident that no member of our team has made any unauthorised disclosure to a team principal and would caution anyone against making imprudent and serious allegations without substance.”
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