Hamilton hopeful Wolff's FIA criminal complaint will have 'positive impact'

Lewis Hamilton has defended "brave" F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff following the announcement she has filed a criminal complaint against the FIA.

Wolff announced on Wednesday she had filed a complaint to the French courts on March 4 "in relation to the statements made about me by the FIA last December", slating the fact there had "still not been any transparency or accountability in relation to the conduct of the FIA and its personnel in this matter".

Wolff and her husband, Mercedes team principal Toto, were placed under investigation by the FIA following alleged complaints regarding the sharing of information.

Remarkably, every team released a statement on social media insisting they were not behind the complaint, leading to the governing body swiftly dropping the case.

Wolff was furious with the allegations, which she stated at the time demonstrated "intimidatory and misogynistic behaviour".

In the light of Wolff's court action, seven-time F1 champion Hamilton has now offered his firm support.

'Clearly no accountability'

"Firstly, I'm incredibly proud of Susie," Hamilton told select media including RacingNews365. "I think she's so brave, and she stands for such great values.

"She's such a leader, and in a world where often people are silent, for her to be standing up sends such a great message.

"I love that she's taken it out of this world, filed it [the complaint] from outside, because there is a real lack of accountability here, within this sport, within the FIA, things that are happening behind closed doors. There is no transparency, there is clearly no accountability, and we need that, I think the fans need that.

"How can you trust the sport and what is happening here, if you don't have that, and so hopefully, this stand that she's taken now will create change and will have a positive impact. Especially for women, it is still a male-dominated sport.

"And we live 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 sport, we need to make sure that we're staying true to the core values."