Formula 1 has faced multiple controversies in recent months. The FIA previously investigated F1 Academy Managing Director Susie Wolff for a conflict of interest with husband Toto Wolff who is the Mercedes F1 team boss. The sports governing body had cleared the couple of any wrongdoings. However no details of the allegations was revealed. Susie Wolff has filed a legal complaint against the FIA. Now, Lewis Hamilton has warned the sport over its handling of this case.
Hamilton called out the FIA for the lack of transparency and accountability over the investigation. The seven-time world champion mentioned that F1 and motorsport in general was still male dominated arenas. Moreover, the 39-year-old took a subtle dig at Red Bull for suspending the female employee who had accused Christian Horner of inappropriate behavior. The 39-year-old claimed that nowadays one would be fired if they filed a complaint.
It is still a male-dominated sport And we are living in a time where the message is: 'If you file a complaint, you will be fired. Lewis Hamilton as reported by the BBC
Lewis Hamilton warned how this could set a terrible narrative globally. F1 is the pinnacle of motorsport with millions of fans following the sport. As such, the current situation in the sport paints a bad picture when it comes to inclusivity in an already male-dominated field. The 39-year-old urged the sport to stick to its core values.
And that is a terrible narrative to be projecting to the world, especially when we're talking about inclusivity.
Lewis Hamilton’s teammate George Russell slams FIA for no transparency in Susie Wolff’s case
Lewis Hamilton was joined by his teammate George Russell in criticizing the sports governing body. The 26-year-old mentioned that every driver, fan or a team member trusts the leaders of the sport for taking decisions in the best interest of the grid than their own, However, when no information about an investigation is released to the public, it makes one wonder if anything was being hidden.
When we don't have the facts and figures, and there is no transparency, you always think there's something being hidden. George Russell said as reported by Motorsport.com
Moreover, Russell emphasized on the need for F1 to send the right message to every single fan of the sport. The Mercedes driver highlighted that the sport needed to assure the world that things were not swept under the rug. No matter the circumstances.
That's why it's so important for the sport now to send the right message to everybody who's supporting Formula 1, watching Formula 1, wants to be involved in Formula 1, that things aren't just swept under the carpet.
It will be interesting to see how the Susie Wolff saga unfolds in the coming days. The FIA has not commented on Wolff’s legal complaint for now. However, it is clear that the sports governing body would be forced to answer sooner rather than later, be in the media or in the court. As such, it remains to be seen how the FIA handles the entire situation in the coming days.
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