Hamilton blasts the way F1 is run and says that he’s never backed FIA chief
Hamilton said he has never supported Formula 1’s ruler Mohammed ben Sulayem - and believes the sport is sending out a “message that if you file a complaint, you will be fired” amid the Christian Horner controversy.
Ben Sulayem, elected as FIA president in December 2021, was cleared by his own organisation's ethics committee on Wednesday after he was accused of meddling with the result of last year's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and attempting to block the certification of F1's £500 million Las Vegas Grand Prix on the Strip in November.
But four hours later, on another whirlwind day in the controversy-hit world of F1, Susie Wolff announced she has filed a criminal complaint against the FIA following the sporting federation's conflict of interest inquiry into her and husband Toto, the team principal of Hamilton's Mercedes team, in December.
Earlier this month, Horner's accuser was suspended on full pay in the wake of Red Bull's investigation into alleged "inappropriate behaviour" by the F1 team principal. The employee of the Milton Keynes team has since appealed against the decision to exonerate Horner.
Speaking ahead of this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton was asked if 62-yearold Emirati Ben Sulayem remains the right person in charge of the FIA and if he still has his backing.
"He never has," said Hamilton. The seven-time world champion was then asked for his thoughts on Wolff 's decision to launch legal action. "Firstly, I'm incredibly proud of Susie," said the seventime world champion. "I think she is so brave, and she stands for such great values. "She's such a leader and in a world where often people are silenced, for her to be standing up sends such a great message.
"There is a real lack of accountability here, within this sport, within the FIA.
"There are things that are happening behind closed doors, there is no transparency, there is really no accountability and we need that. The fans need that. How can you trust the sport and what is haplewis pening here if you don't have that?
"So, hopefully this stand that she's taking now will create change, will have a positive impact, and especially for women. It is still a male-dominated sport, and we're living in a time where the message is if you file a complaint, you will be fired, and that is a terrible narrative to be projecting to the world, especially when we're talking about inclusivity here in the sport. We need to make sure we stay true to the core values."
The probe into the Wolffs arose at the end of last year after a report in Business F1 magazine claimed that other team principals were concerned Susie's husband Toto was benefiting from information shared by his wife, who runs the all-female F1 Academy series.
The FIA said it was “looking into” the allegations but later said it "can confirm that there is no ongoing investigation in terms of ethical or disciplinary inquiries involving any individual". At the time, Susie, 41, described the claims as "intimidatory and misogynistic".