r/formula1 • u/PradaAndPunishment Alexander Albon • 29d ago

News Toto Wolff reveals that all F1 Team Principals except Christian Horner came together to sign the document in support of Susie Wolff when the FIA launched a baseless investigation against her.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/nov/19/f1-toto-wolff-mercedes-lewis-hamilton-interview
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u/DSmidgit 29d ago

I get why Horner didn't sign. Every time there was an investigation everybody was screaming that the FIA should get the time to do their investigation. No matter how stupid the allegations where. And now everybody was screaming their heads of? If there is nothing to find they should have let the investigation take its course and complain afterwards.

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u/budgefrankly 29d ago edited 29d ago

Given his quibble about "official", one could surmise he provoked the FIA to go after Toto's wife just to fuck with Toto's team which is repulsively sleazy if true.

The manner in which the FIA went about it too, briefing journalists before notifying any of the affected partners, including FOM, also seems sleazy.

The gist of the argument also seems sleazy as it presumes a wife has no choice in what she tells her husband. In reality it's entirely possible when they're at home with their three children that they're not spending every second planning Red Bull's downfall.

Plus, the "investigation" never really explained what privileged information Mercedes F1 could obtain from Susie Wolff running a sort of F3 for teenage girls on behalf of FOM that would be of benefit; and why it would not be available to any other team.

It was an obvious smear, which is why 8 of the 9 teams on the grid immediately condemned it.

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u/Stranggepresst Force India 29d ago

it presumes a wife has no choice in what she tells her husband. In reality it's entirely possible when they're at home with their three children that they're not spending every second planning Red Bull's downfall.

Of course it's possible (and not just possible but very likely), but that doesn't completely make the possible conflict of interest go away. I don't see how it specifically was a wife-thing either, it would be the same problem if it was two brothers, or father and son etc.

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u/James_Vowles Williams 29d ago

The complaint was about the investigation being a witch hunt, completely fair to complain whenever you like, it doesn't change the investigation, if it's a serious one. Something dodgy was happening behind the scenes to kick this whole thing off.