'Heated discussion between Wolff and Horner prompted FIA investigation'

Recently, speculations about Toto and Susie Wolff appeared, following which the FIA has now launched an investigation. The couple, consisting of the Mercedes team boss and the boss of F1 Academy, allegedly shared confidential information between themselves. Auto, Motor und Sport reveals that this came to light during a heated discussion between Toto Wolff and Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner.

Someone present at the meeting in question confirmed to AMUS that Wolff had released information there that was considered confidential and should not be accessible to him. The Mercedes boss is said to have mentioned figures that would have emerged from audits that were part of budget cap compliance investigations.

During the meeting in question, an altercation reportedly took place between Wolff and Horner, with the latter allegedly asking his rival where he got the said information. The discussion reportedly did not escalate further, so the FIA's investigation came as somewhat of a surprise to those involved.

Reactions from the Mercedes camp were not kind: Susie Wolff said she felt deeply offended and stated that the accusations stemmed from misogyny. Her statement was endorsed by Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes F1 team threw the allegations far and wide, and Formula 1 itself was also decidedly unhappy with the FIA's investigation, of which the sport said it had not been informed.

While the German medium initially reported that an altercation between Horner and Wolff prompted the FIA's investigation, AMUS has since posted a correction. While it is true that a disagreement over the budget cap would have taken place, it would not have led to the investigation launched by the FIA.