According to Christian Horner, Red Bull has not filed an official complaint with the FIA regarding allegations that Susie Wolff, the managing director of the F1 Academy, and her husband Toto Wolff, the team principal of Mercedes, shared confidential information.

According to an article in Business F1 magazine, some Formula One team leaders are worried that Toto Wolff has been given insider information through his wife, which he is not sharing with them and using to his advantage. Both Mercedes and F1 have refuted these claims.

Susie Wolff holds a position at the F1 Academy for women and was selected for the role in March. She reports to Stefano Domenicali, the president and chief executive of F1. The FIA declared on Tuesday that their compliance department is currently investigating the situation.

Susie Wolff expressed her deep offense on social media regarding the accusations, which she vehemently denies. Horner refuted claims that Red Bull was responsible for prompting the FIA’s actions and highlighted the team’s partnership with the Academy, while also commending Susie Wolff for her exceptional work.

Horner stated on Sky Sports News that while there is a strong competition between us and Mercedes on the racetrack, we have not filed any formal complaints to the FIA regarding Susie, Toto, or Mercedes. In fact, Red Bull has been highly involved in the Formula One Academy from the beginning, to the extent that our two teams will be entering three cars collectively.

“We have been working closely with Susie, who has been doing a great job on Formula One Academy. I think we, like others, were quite surprised at the statement that came out last night, but it certainly wasn’t instigated or required or set off by Red Bull.”

When asked about any potential involvement within the organization, including the AlphaTauri F1 team, Horner responded by stating that they have not filed any official complaints or made any requests to the FIA or FOM. He also mentioned that they have been collaborating closely with Susie on the Formula One Academy, as they are the only group planning to enter three cars in the academy for 2024.

“I am impressed by the work being done at the academy and we are very enthusiastic about it. I cannot speak for other teams, as this is an FIA decision and has no relation to Red Bull.”

On Wednesday, following reports of allegations, additional F1 teams publicly denied involvement. Ferrari stated that they did not file a complaint with the FIA about confidential information being shared between an F1 team principal and a member of FOM staff. They also expressed their support for the F1 Academy and their managing director by sponsoring an entrant wearing their liveries in the upcoming season.

The teams of McLaren, Williams, and Haas all denied any involvement in the alleged incident, using similar statements on their social media posts. Mercedes also issued a statement refuting the accusation, stating that they completely rejected it.

Formula One released a statement expressing their full trust that the accusations were unfounded. They also stated that they have strong protocols in place to prevent any conflicts of interest by separating information and responsibilities.

We trust that none of our team members have shared any information with a team leader without permission, and we advise against making reckless and unfounded accusations.

Source: theguardian.com