Toto Wolff wanted to quit Mercedes but one man refused to let him walk away

Toto Wolff has revealed that he has offered to resign from his position as Mercedes team principal several times in recent years, only for one senior figure to stop him.

The Austrian made the admission while reflecting on his future at the Silver Arrows, joking that he has little choice but to remain in charge because Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius will not let him leave.

Wolff was speaking at the 2026 Golden Steering Wheel awards in Berlin, where he received the AUTO BILD Motorsport Award following a hugely successful season for Mercedes.

The team was crowned Constructors' champions in Brazil on Sunday, just a week after its 20-year-old prodigy Kimi Antonelli had become the sport's youngest Drivers' champion.

Asked whether he intended to continue as team principal, the 54-year-old responded with a smile: "Yes. Ola forces me to."

He then explained the reason behind the remark, revealing: "I have offered him my resignation several times in recent years, but he has always said: 'You carry on doing it.'"

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Wolff reveals resignation offers to Mercedes chief

The revelation comes after a challenging period for Mercedes, who have now returned to the top of Formula 1 under Wolff's leadership.

The team endured several difficult seasons following the introduction of the ground-effect regulations in 2022, struggling to consistently challenge for race victories and championship honours.

However, the 2026 campaign has brought a remarkable turnaround with Wolff drawing level with the legendary Frank Williams for the most team titles won by a team principal (nine).

Wolff has also overseen 17 Drivers' and Constructors' Championship victories since taking charge of Mercedes in 2013, matching the achievement of former McLaren boss Ron Dennis.

Mercedes boss has no plans to slow down

There is little indication now that Wolff is preparing to walk away from Formula 1 any time soon.

Even after Mercedes' latest championship success, the 54-year-old Austrian admitted that he finds it difficult to enjoy the moment for long before his attention turns towards the next challenge.

"The moment when you are happy is unfortunately very short, when you close your eyes on the flight back," he explained.

Wolff added that his thoughts quickly return to the work ahead, saying: "Then comes the miserable part of my life, namely thinking about how we win the next race."

Wolff has around 2 billion reasons to stay on

Wolff of course has other reasons to stay with Mercedes - he owns 28 percent of the team even after selling a 5 percent stake late last year for $300million.

That sale valued the team at an astonishing $6billion, and Wolff's share at $2billion.

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