06 December 2023 , 17:55
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Christian Horner insists his Red Bull team did not make an official complaint about Toto and Susie Wolff which triggered an FIA investigation.
Mercedes team principal Toto and his wife Susie, managing director of the all-female F1 Academy racing series, were named on Tuesday by Autosport as the alleged subjects of an FIA investigation into a potential "conflict of interest" between their roles.
Mercedes later issued a statement in which the team said it was unaware of the probe until the generic FIA statement, which did not name the Wolffs, was issued publicly. The team also said it "wholly rejects" the allegations levied at their team principal and his wife.
Some reports claimed the FIA's involvement was triggered by rival team principals who were said to have grown suspicious that confidential information may have been shared. Naturally, given Red Bull's status as Mercedes' biggest rivals, some may assume that Horner may have been one of those to raise a concern.
But he denied having done so when twice asked directly by Sky Sports News. To the first question he responded: "We have a big rivalry on track, but we haven't raised any official complaints about Toto, Susie or Mercedes to the FIA.
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"In fact, Red Bull has been the team that has got most involved with F1 Academy at its inception to the point that, between the two Red Bull teams, we'll be entering three cars. So we're working close with Susie who's been doing a great job on F1 Academy. We, like others, were quite surprised by the statement that came out last night. It certainly wasn't instigated, required or set off by Red Bull."
And when asked again if he could be clear that no-one within his organisation had raised a complaint, he replied: "We've not raised any official complaint or made any requests to the FIA or to FOM. Indeed, we've been working very closely with Susie on the F1 Academy - we're the only group that's going to be entering three cars into the Academy for 2024.
"It's great work that they're doing at the Academy and we're certainly excited about that. As far as the other teams, I can't talk on behalf of others. This is an FIA thing - they've taken this action. It's certainly nothing to do with Red Bull."
Horner's interview sparked other teams to issue public statements on the matter. All nine of Mercedes' rivals have now publicly denied that they made any complaints to the FIA on this matter.
In a strongly-worded social media statement, Susie said she was "deeply insulted" by the allegations. "It is disheartening that my integrity is being called into question in such a manner, especially when it seems to be rooted in intimidating and misogynistic behaviour and focus on my marital status rather than my abilities," she wrote.
" Throughout my career in motorsport, I have encountered and overcome numerous obstacles and I refuse to let these baseless allegations overshadow my dedication and passion for F1 Academy. As a woman in this sport, I have faced my fair share of challenges but my commitment to breaking down barriers and paving the way for future generations to succeed remains unwavering. In the strongest possible terms, I reject these allegations."