Mercedes Formulation 1 CEO and group principal Toto Wolff has opened up about management, describing his place as an “ejection seat” if he goes from “nice to good”.
Wolff has been on the helm of the Brackley outfit since 2013 and efficiently guided the group to eight constructors’ championships and 7 drivers’ titles, with Lewis Hamilton claiming six and Nico Rosberg securing one.
“I really feel embarrassed speaking about management,” he informed Forbes. “This notion of 1 chief is one thing that I actually battle with. I couldn’t be the most effective CFO, the most effective CMO, the most effective CEO, multi functional. I see myself amongst that group. If there’s a last choice to make, then I’ll try this. However I depend on the collective.
“I see it somewhat bit as my tribe, I ought to guard them. However I additionally want to offer readability of the mission.”
He added, “You gotta be nice. If you happen to go from nice to good since you’re not motivated sufficient, otherwise you haven’t been maintaining with the event of expertise – then that is an ejection seat. I’m accountable for the 2000 folks that work on this group, their households, their life requirements, their mortgages, their goals, their hopes.”
Toto Wolff, Mercedes
Picture by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Photographs through Getty Photographs
Valtteri Bottas, who drove for Mercedes for 5 seasons alongside Hamilton and served as a reserve driver in 2025, championed Wolff’s means to learn folks. “One among his strengths is studying folks and studying take care of totally different folks as a result of everyone seems to be totally different,” the Finnish driver mentioned. “Some would possibly want extra stress. Some would possibly want much less. And he tries to determine for every particular person what works.”
Whereas the Austrian bought a 15% stake in his holding firm, which interprets to a 5% share within the Mercedes F1 group, on the finish of 2025, he confirmed that he has no plans to depart his position at this stage.
“I’ve no plan to promote the group or no plan to depart my position,” he informed the media. “I am really in a very good area and I am having fun with it. And so long as I really feel I am contributing and others really feel that I am contributing, there is no motive to suppose in that route.”
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