Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff reveals 'nuts' sacrifice to win world titles

Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff has revealed what he will sacrifice to win a world title in the sport.

Wolff has established a tremendous legacy for himself and Mercedes in F1, winning eight consecutive constructors’ titles from 2014 until 2021, along with seven drivers titles for Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

While the team still continue to collect race wins, Mercedes have been absent from the title fight since their 2021 showdown with Red Bull, and the team boss recently revealed what he would sacrifice to win championships.

Speaking at the Autosport Business Exchange in New York, Wolff discussed major changes over the years in the sport, including the introduction of the cost cap and the financial implications of the rules.

Wolff on the F1 cost cap

The cost cap was introduced in F1 to ensure parity between teams with bigger budgets and those with less resources, with Wolff hailing the decision during the interview.

Wolff explained: “Yeah, the sport has changed tremendously, because when I started, it was a marketing exercise only for big consumer brands. So Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull, we were fighting for glory with the hope of enhancing our mother brands.

“The landscape changed when we when we introduced the cost cap. The main reason for the first cost cap was not increasing profits of the teams, but to kind of balance the performances between the teams, so smaller teams that were running on little budgets, were theoretically competitors in the long term against the big teams.

“That was the right decision for the sport. It created more vulnerability in the results. And the consequence that we have seen was tremendous on the PnL (profit and loss).

“But having said that, and this maybe sounds nuts for any conventional entrepreneur, is that I would give up any profit for winning championships. And that is the racer mentality that many of us have in the team that hasn't changed since we started in the sport as drivers or as entrepreneurs do.”

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