Toto Wolff's wild Mercedes plan: find F1 replacement and criticise from afar

Toto Wolff on the phone in front of a beach-themed background — Photo: © IMAGO

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Toto Wolff's wild Mercedes plan: find F1 replacement and criticise from afar

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff has begun to think about his exit from his role at the head of the Silver Arrows

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 15 August 2025 12:05

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff has opened up on what his future away from the day-to-day running of the Silver Arrows could look like... and we can guarantee it's not what you might have imagined!

The Austrian has led the Brackley-based F1 outfit since the early 2010s after making the switch from Williams in 2013, taking over from Ross Brawn as team principal the following year.

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In July 2025, Christian Horner was sacked as Red Bull's team principal with immediate effect leaving Wolff as the longest-serving F1 boss in the business.

But following Horner's shock exit, the Brit's former rival has been asked about his own future plans in the sport and whether fans can expect him to stick around for a lot longer at Mercedes.

Speaking to Channel 4's Steve Jones weeks after the news of the former Red Bull boss' dismissal, Wolff joked: "Well, you know if I'm not performing well I need to find a replacement for myself and then become chairman and criticise the team from the sun lounger."

Wolff's rivalry with Horner was made redundant when the Red Bull boss was sacked

Are Mercedes at risk of losing Toto Wolff?

Whilst Horner's sacking may have led to a tongue-in-cheek reflection of Wolff's own future as an F1 team principal, rest assured the Austrian boss is likely to stay put in the paddock for the near future.

No one is ever truly safe when it comes to their contract in F1 thanks to the constant pressure of delivering on performance, and that pressure extends to the team principals as well as the drivers.

Despite there potentially being some truth in Wolff's statement about his future, his role at the Silver Arrows extends far beyond team principal, meaning the German automotive manufacturer would be unlikely to get rid of him altogether like Red Bull did with Horner.

Currently, Wolff is the team principal, CEO and co-owner of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team, with the Austrian possessing a one-third ownership stake of the team in his name.

At 53 years old and with 12 seasons already under his belt at the helm of Mercedes, Wolff is unlikely to go anywhere anytime soon, especially with exciting young talent rising through the ranks of his F1 outfit such as Kimi Antonelli, who Wolff was instrumental in signing ahead of his rookie season in 2025.

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