F1 Academy boss Susie Wolff files criminal complaint against FIA،
F1 Academy boss Susie Wolff has filed a criminal complaint following the FIA's short-lived investigation into her and her husband Toto last year.
Last year, motorsport's governing body announced an investigation into an alleged conflict of interest between Susie and Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff.
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The FIA acted following a report in Business F1 magazine that said at least one rival team boss had raised concerns about information leaks in private meetings.
After going public with the case, the FIA quickly announced it had dropped the investigation, but the Wolffs said they were exploring legal options.
On Thursday, ahead of this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, Wolff confirmed she had filed a legal complaint.
“I can confirm that I personally filed a criminal complaint in the French courts on March 4 regarding the statements made about me by the FIA last December,” Wolff said in a social media post.
“There has still been no transparency or accountability regarding the conduct of the FIA and its staff in this matter.
“I think more than ever it is important to stand up, call out our inappropriate behavior and ensure that people are held accountable.
“While some might think that silence absolves them of responsibility, that is not the case.”
The FIA declined to comment on Wolff's statement when contacted by ESPN.
Transparency – or rather the lack of it – has become the main talking point in F1 this year.
Hours before Wolff's statement, the FIA announced that an independent investigation had cleared its own president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, of wrongdoing after accusations by whistleblowers that he had sought to interfere in the result of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and allegedly sought to deny certification of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit before its first race.
The investigation into Ben Sulayem lasted 30 days and included interviews with 11 witnesses.
F1 has also been in limbo in recent months due to the saga surrounding Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
Horner was the subject of an internal investigation by Red Bull GmbH over an allegation of inappropriate behavior, but was cleared in early March.
Horner's investigation was led by an independent lawyer and included interviews with more than 40 members of the Red Bull F1 team.
The woman who filed the complaint has since been suspended by Red Bull.
F1 team bosses such as McLaren's Wolff and Zak Brown have called on F1 and the FIA to take a closer look at the investigation themselves.
Red Bull GmbH has not yet released further information about the Horner verdict or why the employee was suspended.
