Lewis Hamilton slams FIA over lack of “transparency or accountability” after Susie Wolff lodges a complaint against them

On Thursday morning Susie Wolff, wife of Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff, posted on her Instagram, that on the 4th of March she has officially filed a criminal complaint against the FIA over the controversial conflict of interest investigation. The managing director of the F1 academy believes now is the time to stand up more than ever and hold people accountable.

The seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton had come out in support of Susie Wolff ahead of the Australin GP. He has raised questions on the authenticity and accountability of the federation. Hamilton is utterly shocked by this behaviour of the governing bodies. He believes that in such situations it is becoming difficult to feel safe in the sports, especially for women. He believes that this stand taken by Susie Wolff will bring positive change in these chaotic times in sports.

Firstly, I'm incredibly proud of Susie. She's so brave. She stands for such great values. She's such a leader. In a world where often people are silenced, for her to be standing up sends such a great message. I love that she's taking it out of this world, filing it from outside, because there is a real lack of accountability here within this sport, within the FIA. things that are happening behind closed doors, there is no transparency, and there is clearly no accountability.

Lewis Hamilton said via motorsport.com.

In December, the FIA investigated a personal conflict of interest between Susie and Toto Wolff. A complaint was received regarding potential confidential information shared between the two. As reported by the media, one team boss had made a complaint, however, all of them denied making the complaint. The case was closed by the FIA after finding no merits in the claim.

Lewis Hamilton takes a subtle dig at the Red Bull in his statement

At the start of February, a private investigation was launched by Red Bull, due to the accusations made against the team principal Christian Horner for inappropriate and controlling behavior. The investigation went on for weeks, causing havoc in the F1 world, but ahead of Bahrain GP Horner was cleared of all the accusations.

The very next-week Red Bull went ahead and suspended the female employee who had filed the complaint. Red Bull personnel declined to address the issue and denied media reports, claiming they lack control over hiring and suspension. Amidst all the chaos one of the drivers who prominently took the stand for women was Lewis Hamilton. He expressed his pride in Susie Wolff’s stand and indirectly took a dig at Red Bull.

We're living in the time where the message is 'If you file a complaint, you'll be fired.' So, especially when we're talking about inclusivity here in the sport, we need to make sure that we're staying true to the core values here.

Lewis Hamilton.

It is no surprise that F1 is a male-dominated sport, yet there are many women who work for the success of the teams and sports on and off track. Taking a stand for yourself against powerful people in the sport in itself is a difficult decision for anyone, plus the threat of losing your job on top of it makes it even worse. The safety of women has always been an important question and in this era, and time it’s high time that, these issues are handled with more sensibility and authenticity.

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