How the FIA/Wolff case could shape F1’s political landscape

It is often said that nothing brings a body of people together like a common enemy. The unity that can thrive when all parties are united against the same target can be truly powerful.

That is why the ever-changing dynamics of the relationship between F1 teams on one side, and the FIA/FOM on the other, has been fascinating to observe for decades now. As an example, long-time F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone had to divide and conquer the teams to prevent becoming their common enemy, for he knew he could rule the roost much better if they were fighting each other rather than coming together against him.

Right now, the situation in F1 is the opposite. However, much as grand prix racing remains a dog-eat-dog competitive arena, it finds itself in a situation where the teams are more united than perhaps they have ever been before.

A combination of the spirit that helped F1 get through the COVID crisis, allied to a cost cap meaning that the quest for cash is no longer a matter of team survival, means most of the fighting now takes place on the track rather than in the paddock. And that’s exactly as it should be.

But things have moved on critically this week in the wake of the fallout regarding the FIA’s decision to investigate whether Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and wife Susie may have breached compliance rules over a possible conflict of interest.

Amid the FIA’s clear indications that its actions were prompted by team principal complaints, it had all the potential to be a drama that could expose some divides up and down the grid. However, it took just 24 hours for the complete opposite to happen, as there was an unprecedented showing of support for the Wolffs – and public declarations from teams that showed FIA suggestions of team complaints were untrue.

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

The show of support for the Wolffs from the F1 teams has created a new dynamic to this saga

This unity prompted fresh questions over what has really prompted the FIA to go ahead with an investigation that it appeared to have gone public with before the parties involved knew anything about it.

In terms of the bigger picture at play in F1 right now, the current team unity is backed by something that hasn’t really happened a lot in the past either; of the competitors and the commercial rights holders all being aligned and chasing the same Northern Star.

The boom that Liberty Media has helped F1 unleash since its arrival has transformed the audiences, triggered a huge growth in commercial interest and left a grid that has perhaps never been as robust as it right now. And from F1’s perspective, the strength of the 10 current teams, and the lack of back-stabbing among them, is something that it embraces rather than is afraid of.

From the days when the FIA and FOM were as thick as thieves, things could not be more different now

It is all a world away from the many years when Ecclestone ruled with his divide-and-conquer tactics. He was invariably helped in the bid to achieve his aims by the fact that he and the FIA were the ones mostly in bed with each other. They were unified by their common enemy that was the teams.

This reached a peak in the Max Mosley era, when the pair proved masters at causing division up and down the grid to ensure that things went the way they wanted them to be. This was no better shown than when Ecclestone and Mosley picked off individual squads during the height of the Formula One Teams’ Association influence amid the threats of a breakaway in 2010. This manoeuvring is effectively what killed off FOTA for good. 

But from the days when the FIA and FOM were as thick as thieves, things could not be more different now. The nature of the FIA’s action against the Wolffs, which now seems to have been triggered by an isolated media report from anonymous sources, has prompted further questions over the manner by which FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is steering his ship – and whether or not he is risking a full-on collision with the teams and FOM.

This has been a year where Ben Sulayem has certainly found himself front and centre of controversy. There were his comments about a potential Saudi Arabian takeover which triggered a stern letter from FOM; there has been the political battle over opening up the F1 new team entries and awarding Andretti the go-ahead, as well as the revelation of historic comments made on his website which were labelled as sexist. 

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Under Mosley and Ecclestone, the FIA and FOM would unite against the teams

Despite publicly stating he was stepping back from F1 involvement, his presence in the paddock has been as high-profile as ever. He congratulates drivers in parc ferme and hands them their FIA medals on the podium.

There has been further unease over his driver jewellery ban, and growing questions about FIA probes: including into Lewis Hamilton crossing the track in Qatar, Wolff and Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur being summoned for swearing in press conferences, and Sergio Perez getting warned over comments he made over team radio at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The FIA has also faced headaches over track limits policing, and then there was the summons of every team over eyewear protection at the F1 season finale. And that was before Ben Sulayem made suggestions in an interview that former F1 race director Michael Masi could be called back into action.

Against that backdrop and the latest Wolff development, it is no wonder paddock sources are questioning whether this run of action shows a governing body following due process and the letter of the law in everything it does, or if personal agendas are at play.

In light of what has happened this week, the answer to the above question will likely only be cleared up if there is total transparency about the allegations, an explanation of the evidence it was based on and the reasoning behind any decisions ultimately made – whether that is to drop the case entirely or take it further.

What is clear though is that the patience of teams and FOM is wearing thin. At a time when F1 is going from strength to strength, there is no desire for unnecessary troubles to grab the spotlight.
The latest drama has again fuelled talk of a breakaway championship, a topic which has reared its head several times this year but has never really advanced.

But the more these flashpoints keep cropping up, and the more that the patience of FOM in particular is tried, then the more likely it is that the role of the governing body will be called into question. And perhaps the louder the calls will come for the FIA’s role in F1 to be pushed back to the minimum.

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

This case will undoubtedly put even greater strain on an already fragile relationship between the FIA and FOM

But with the finances that the FIA gets from F1 for its regulatory role in the series so critical to its bottom line, losing that income could be devastating at a time when it openly admits it is still making efforts to reduce its operating deficit.

The Wolffs and F1 have every reason to feel annoyance for the way that their reputations have been dragged through the mud this week, but they are certainly not the only ones feeling that the FIA has to improve. As Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said in Abu Dhabi: “For the FIA, like any business or any team, there is always room for improvement in everything involved.”

“For the FIA, like any business or any team, there is always room for improvement in everything involved” Christian Horner

The Wolff saga has put a spotlight on Ben Sulayem’s actions like never before though and, ahead of this weekend’s FIA Gala, it will be fascinating to see how the situation develops there. From that, we should get a much clearer indication of whether the FIA sees itself as a crucial element of the triumvirate (FIA, FOM, teams) that can make grand prix racing even greater, or if it is comfortable to position itself as the tough landlord - and be at risk of uniting the other two as their common enemy.

That latter scenario is something that nobody wants to see though, for it is clear that F1 can only be stronger if all three key players come together.

Asked how important unity at the top of the series was for F1 amid the FIA/FOM troubles, Horner said recently: “That’s their business. We’re just a team. We race against a set of regulations and we get paid wherever we finish. But obviously, it’s important for the sport for there to be harmony between the two organising bodies.”  

After all, you don’t need common enemies during the good times.

Photo by: Alfa Romeo

The FIA and Wolff case will be watched with keen interest by the F1 paddock