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Laurence Edmondson, F1 Editor
Ferrari workforce principal Fred Vasseur used the phrase “embarrassing” to sum up the saga surrounding the FIA’s current compliance investigation into F1 energy couple Susie and Toto Wolff.
Final week, F1’s governing physique launched an ethics investigation into a possible battle of curiosity between Susie Wolff, who’s the pinnacle of System One’s all-female racing collection F1 Academy, and her husband Toto, who’s the workforce principal and co-owner of the Mercedes F1 workforce.
The investigation appeared to stem from a report in Enterprise F1 journal that recommended rival workforce bosses had raised issues about confidential data being shared between the couple.
Nonetheless, the day after the investigation was introduced, F1’s 9 different groups issued co-ordinated statements supporting the Wolffs, which successfully undermined the validity of the unique story and the necessity for an official probe.
Inside 24 hours of the statements from the groups, the FIA stated it had shelved its investigation, resulting in an extra assertion from Toto Wolff saying he was in an “energetic authorized change” with the governing physique and awaiting “full transparency” on the topic.
Requested if he was involved in regards to the obvious rift between the FIA and F1’s different stakeholders, Vasseur stated: “I believe all of this story is sort of embarrassing for the entire sport.
“The story began with an article in a newspaper — I do not know if a newspaper is the precise phrase — and I believe on this state of affairs when you’re talking about people, it’s important to watch out about what you might be saying.
“I believe it will have been acceptable from the FIA to … they wanted 24 hours between the announcement and the second announcement, so it will have made sense to make use of that 24 hours earlier than the primary announcement to keep away from any dangerous conclusions.”
The story emerged in opposition to a backdrop of worsening relations between the FIA and F1’s industrial rights holder Liberty Media, which has been a theme inside the sport for the reason that election of present FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in December 2021.
Nonetheless, Vasseur stays assured that F1 is in good well being as negotiations over a brand new Concorde Settlement — the wide-ranging contract that binds the industrial rights holder, the FIA and the ten groups collectively — enter their ultimate section.
“At the least the primary level after the, how do you name it, the ‘incident’ of final week, is that no less than the groups have been very united,” Vasseur added. “And I believe it was the primary conclusion for me, that we have been in a position to act collectively, and it isn’t fairly often you see that. Even Crimson Bull was supportive with Toto — we’ve to note it!
“Actually, I believe it is a good level for us to take a place and focus on with all the different stakeholders. I believe it is the primary time that the groups collectively confirmed one thing like this.
“For certain, we all know every time that the Concorde Settlement is mentioned it’s a essential one, however I believe that we’re in a significantly better state of affairs as we speak than we have been 5 years in the past. 5 years in the past, earlier than COVID, once we signed the present Concorde Settlement, we’ve to understand that we had 4 or 5 groups nearly in chapter.
“As we speak it isn’t the identical state of affairs in any respect. The enterprise is rather more sustainable because of the price cap, because of the prize fund distribution, and this for F1 is the assure of the soundness for the long run. Now you’ll be able to all the time focus on about technical laws, governance, prize fund distribution, however it will likely be marginal. It will not affect the game, it will not affect the enterprise, it will not affect the System One.”