FIA faces legal storm as Wolff, Massa and Villars take action

F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff has filed a defamation claim in the French High Courts against the FIA. The case stems from the governing body’s December 2023 investigation into a possible conflict of interest, citing her close professional ties with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and her marriage to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

The inquiry, which lasted only 48 hours, was later dropped, but Wolff condemned the FIA’s conduct, accusing it of lacking “transparency and accountability.” Speaking recently, she confirmed that the legal process is still ongoing.

Former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa has also taken the FIA, Formula 1, and former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone to court over the controversial 2008 “Crashgate” scandal seeking damages he estimates to be worth up to $85 million dollars.

Massa’s case relies on a 2023 German interview where Ecclestone admitted that the FIA and FOM were aware of Renault’s manipulation of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, but chose not to act.

Ecclestone stated the race results should have been cancelled, which would have made Massa, not Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 World Champion.

This week’s hearings in the UK will determine whether Massa’s claims, which have already been addressed by the FIA, merit a full trial.

Meanwhile, Laura Villars, a declared candidate for the FIA Presidency, has won an emergency hearing before the French High Courts, contesting the transparency and fairness of the ongoing electoral process.

Villars argues that current election rules make opposition candidates effectively ineligible. The statutes require presidential hopefuls to present a list of 10 regional representatives, one from each FIA zone, yet the South American seat is occupied solely by Fabiana Ecclestone, who has pledged her support to incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

Unable to complete her list, Villars claims the system “blocks democratic participation.”

“I have twice tried to open constructive dialogue with the FIA on internal democracy and electoral transparency,” Villars said. “The responses received were not up to the challenge.

Fellow candidate Tim Mayer dropped out of the presidential race on 17 October, 2025 saying: “When elections are decided before ballots are even cast, that's not democracy. That's theatre. When member clubs are left with no real choice, they become spectators, not participants.”

The FIA responded to Mayer's claims stating: "The requirements related to the regional representation of the Vice-Presidents for Sport, and to select them from the World Motor Sport Council in order to draw up a Presidential List, are not new.

Should Villars legal bid be successful the presidential process could pause pending investigation and recommendations. If delays push past the December election, Ben Sulayem would remain president but with reduced powers until confirmed.

The challenge poses a significant potential setback for Ben Sulayem amid broader criticism of the FIA's lack of transparency.

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