Plot thickens as reports emerge of multiple teams complaining to FIA about Mercedes boss Toto Wolff having confidential data

Reports have surfaced that the FIA investigation, seemingly directed at Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and his wife Susie Wolff, is a result of complaints from multiple teams.

In a shocking development yesterday, the FIA issued a statement that the compliance unit was looking into media speculation of confidential information being passed on to a team principal from a FOM personnel. At first, the investigation was assumed to be a result of a report from Business F1, an outlet whose authenticity has often been questioned. However, it now appears that there is more to the story.

According to PlanetF, multiplied teams have complained to the FIA about the Mercedes boss and how he was privy to information that was meant for only FOM personnel. The report also claims that, contrary to claims made by FOM and Mercedes, the two were sent legal letters at the same time as the media statement was sent out.

The PlanetF1 report read:

"The credibility of BusinessF1 magazine has often been questioned, leading many to wonder why the FIA had decided to launch such an investigation but a source familiar with the situation has now told PlanetF1.com that, while the media report was part of the reason the FIA opened the investigation, it was also initiated due to multiple team principals raising complaints."

It continued:

"The same source also alleges that both F1 and Mercedes were sent legal letters from the FIA’s compliance officers at the same time the media statement was sent out. Mercedes, however, has denied this claim and says they have received no such letter."

Mercedes issues statement denying all allegations

The German team was quick to release its own statement after the FIA's statement yesterday. The team has denied all the allegations purportedly made against Toto Wolff. They said:

“We note the generic statement from the FIA this evening, which responds to unsubstantiated allegations from a single media outlet, and the off-record briefing which has linked it to the team principal of Mercedes-AMG F1. The team has received no communication from the FIA Compliance Department on this topic and it was highly surprising to learn of the investigation through a media statement."

They further claimed that the team had not been intimated about the same and only got to know about the same through the public statement of the FIA.

“We wholly reject the allegation in the statement and associated media coverage, which wrongly impinges on the integrity and compliance of our team principal [Toto Wolff]," the statement continued. "As a matter of course, we invite full, prompt, and transparent correspondence from the FIA Compliance Department regarding this investigation and its contents.”