23/06/2025 06:30
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has stated he will be "ruthless"
with his approach to his F1 drivers if they attempt to put their
own interests before the team's. Wolff has been at the helm of the
Mercedes squad since 2013 and oversaw one of the most successful
periods in F1 history, winning eight consecutive constructors'
championships from 2014 to 2021. The team currently employs George
Russell and Kimi Antonelli as its drivers and is partaking in its
first season without Lewis Hamilton since 2012. Having enjoyed
great success with Hamilton in the 2010s, Wolff asserted his
success stemmed from being a team player. "I believe that the best
ones also have social intelligence, emotional intelligence," Wolff
told Bloomberg Hot Pursuit . "They know how to manoeuvre a paddock.
They are career-driven and focused - but they are not selfish.
"Lewis Hamilton is a fantastic team player and he's been the most
successful of all time. "Michael Schumacher was able to assemble a
team around him [at Ferrari] and be hugely successful. "So you see
that with the best - talent and ambition, but also consciousness
that it doesn't all revolve around yourself." Toto Wolff warns over
'ruthless' action Wolff's team-first attitude is a mindset Wolff
has instilled at Mercedes since taking over a leadership role at
the Brackley-based squad. It has unwavered throughout its
success-filled years and its difficulties of late, as the Austrian
promised harsh consequences for any driver who oversteps the mark.
"There are other people who are part of your success," Wolff
continued. "And how I've been managing this from the first day
that I've been in Formula 1 is that I make no difference between
the two drivers and the rest of the company. "I've been telling
them that there are 2,500 superstars in this team. Whether they
work in the machine shop, in the cleaning, in aerodynamics or
driving the car, I'm not going to treat you any differently than
any of the other people. "If you are selfish and you put our joint
success at risk, or you damage our brand, then I'm going to be
ruthless about it. You have no part in this team." Wolff added that
his drivers have never had an issue understanding the approach.
"That philosophy has worked because our drivers have understood
that, they respect that," Wolff said. "They care that everybody you
know is part of the success, and they realise that when they crash
into each other, people can't pay their mortgages because they
don't earn their bonuses."
