In his 3 years as President of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been involved in more controversies than one would think. But the one that stands out is FIA’s ugly portrayal of Susie Wolff and Toto Wolff. By launching an investigation against them in the public domain over an alleged breach of confidentiality, their reputations were damaged. Such allegations enraged Susie Wolff and she refused to take such disrespect. And judging by Toto Wolff‘s latest statements, the case isn’t over.
December began with bad news for the Wolffs. Despite them getting cleared of any malpractice in 2 days, the case defamed them and they made striking statements to hit back at the FIA. Lewis Hamilton, too, stood in their support to condemn FIA’s move. Mercedes even released a statement, revealing that they were involved in an ‘active legal exchange’ with the governing body of F1. What was only a ‘legal exchange’ could now turn into a full-fledged lawsuit.
Toto Wolff said in an interview with Gazzetta Dello Sport, “The investigation – opened and closed in two days – has done a lot of damage, and it’s not what you expect from the F1 world in general. “I can’t speak for Susie but she is a fighter. She has a steely determination. This is not the first time she has faced difficulties, and she will go all the way in every court of law. If someone types Susie Wolff on the web today, the investigation comes up as the first news item. The bullet went out of the gun and cannot come back in.”
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Read More: Lewis Hamilton’s Defense of Susie Wolff Gets Crushed as Toto Wolff’s FIA Case Takes New Turn
While the case is now entirely about FIA against the Wolffs, BusinessF1 magazine, which claimed an alleged breach of confidentiality, still stands by it.
BusinessF1 Magazine dismisses sexism allegations against Susie Wolff
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When the allegations were flung against Susie Wolff, Lewis Hamilton labeled this as ‘unacceptable’ behavior. Wolff even saw herself as a target of misogyny. She spoke about her journey and how she had shattered glass ceilings only to be on the receiving end of such accusations. However, the founder of BusinessF1 magazine, Tom Rubython, wasn’t having any of this.
Defending his magazine, he wrote, “The idea that our history is based on ‘hatred, contempt and prejudice’ towards women is patently ridiculous. We are talking about a simple story of conflict of interest, which arose after informal complaints from the other team principals to the FIA.”
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After a dormant few weeks, the ugly case has heated up again. Do you think Mohammed Ben Sulayem & Co. can land in greater trouble over this?