Mercedes F1 News: Why isn’t Toto Wolff at the Imola Grand Prix?

toto wolff, mercedes, graphic — Photo: © IMAGO

Imola Grand Prix

Why isn’t Toto Wolff at the Imola GP?

Toto Wolff will not attend the Imola Grand Prix with his Mercedes team

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 16 May 2025 22:57

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Mercedes have confirmed that Toto Wolff will not attend the Imola Grand Prix with the team principal missing the race weekend for a family event.

Emilia Romagna marks Kimi Antonelli's first home race with the team, and also heralds additional upgrades for Mercedes, as the team hope to make crucial strides this weekend.

However, Wolff will not be in charge in Imola, and instead their chief communications officer Bradley Lord will take over the duties of the team principal in Italy.

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The Imola GP is not the first race Wolff has missed in 2025, with the Austrian also taking a planned absence from the Japanese GP and has sat out several other races following the growth of F1's calendar.

Has Toto Wolff missed an F1 race before?

Wolff took a scheduled absence earlier in 2025 at Suzuka, where Lord once again delivered the team principal's trackside duties during the race weekend.

The 53-year-old was also absent from the 2024 Brazilian GP and missed the 2022 event, coincidentally where Russell achieved his maiden victory in F1.

Wolff was absent from both the Japanese and Qatar Grands Prix in 2023, as he recovered from a knee injury. He also planned to miss the 2024 Japanese GP to remain at Mercedes’ base, but at the last minute made a U-turn which saw him end up trackside at Suzuka.

Why is Toto Wolff absent from the Imola GP?

GPFans understands that Wolff's absence is due to a family event, as he attends his son Benedict's graduation in the United States.

Antonelli and George Russell will once again be joined in the garage by Lord, as they compete in the seventh round of the 2025 season.

Wolff has two children from a previous relationship, including Benedict, and the Mercedes boss is currently married to F1 Academy director and former racing driver Susie Wolff.

Together the pair have a child called Jack Wolff, who was born to the couple in 2017.

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Mercedes Toto Wolff Imola Grand Prix Bradley Lord