Wolff: FIA threw Mercedes under bus in Ferrari scrutiny

Toto Wolff feels the way in which two Mercedes staff members were publicly specified by the FIA as triggering the scrutiny into Ferrari’s energy recovery system was “disturbing”, agreeing that the team was “thrown under the bus”.

The FIA confirmed on Friday it had ended an investigation into Ferrari’s ERS usage following concerns raised in Baku last month, having gathered data by fitting a new piece of hardware during Thursday’s practice sessions.

Race director Charlie Whiting confirmed the FIA was “satisfied” with its findings, but said the matter had been “exacerbated by unsubstantiated allegations” originating from two Ferrari staff members who now work at Mercedes.

Whiting referred to “a Ferrari engine man now at Mercedes”, Lorenzo Sassi, and directly named former Ferrari technical director James Allison as having brought the matter to his attention ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Asked if he felt slights “thrown under the bus” by the FIA’s naming of the figures involved, Wolff said: “Yes.”

“One of my roles is to protect my people, and if certain individuals are named in the wrong context, that is disturbing,” he added.

“Various teams question the FIA every single day. I think it’s just important to not put someone out there and say: ‘This person has questioned a legality problem’.

“If you say a team has done it, that’s perfectly fine, that’s modus operandi. But picking out individuals, I don't think is the right thing to do.”

Wolff confirmed he had already spoken to the FIA about the comments made, but said Mercedes had accepted the governing body’s findings following its scrutiny of Ferrari.

“The FIA has made a public statement about the situation, and as they are the governing body they are perfectly entitled to do so,” Wolff said.

“No judgement has been made on anything. No protest has been launched, no enquiry has been done. Just the press statement from the FIA and we trust them.

“If they have looked at things, that’s perfectly fine.”