Lewis Hamilton says he has a lot of respect for Susie Wolff, the wife of his team boss Toto Wolff. “I am incredibly proud of her. I think she is very brave and in a world where people are often silenced, it is a great message that she is now standing up,” said the seven-time world champion, in the run-up to the Australian Grand Prix.
Susie Wolff, director of the women's F1 Academy, previously announced that she had filed a criminal complaint against the FIA in early March. The reason is the statement from the motorsport federation in December last year, which stated that a story about a possible conflict of interest of the Wolff couple would be further investigated. Two days later the FIA withdrew the report and reported that there would be no investigation, but Wolff said at the time that he was very upset and spoke of reputational damage.
Hamilton says he understands Wolff's legal action. “There is a lack of taking responsibility within this sport, within the FIA. A lot of things happen behind closed doors, there is no transparency and no accountability, while we all need it. Also the fans. How can you trust the sport like this? Hopefully the stand she is taking now will bring about a change and a positive impact, especially for women. This sport is still dominated by men. We live in a time when, as a woman, you file a complaint and you are fired. That is a terrible story to project to the world, especially when we talk about inclusivity in sports.”
As for the 'fired' woman, Hamilton is referring to the Red Bull Racing employee who accuses team boss Christian Horner of sexual misconduct and has been suspended. A few hours before Susie Wolff made her statement, the FIA ethics committee acquitted Mohammed Ben Sulayem after allegations about possible interference by the president regarding a time penalty for Fernando Alonso in Saudi Arabia and the story that he wanted a stick for the Grand Prix of Las Vegas.