Ferrari would have stopped me becoming new F1 CEO - Toto Wolff

Formula 1

Ferrari would have stopped me becoming new F1 CEO - Wolff

Mercedes motorsport boss held tentative talks with F1

Ian Parkes

Saturday 26 September 2020 05:03

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Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has revealed Ferrari would have stopped him from becoming Formula 1 CEO if he had pushed for the position.

Wolff has confirmed to holding tentative discussions with Greg Maffei, the CEO of F1's commercial rights holders Liberty Media about replacing Chase Carey.

Such talks failed to progress, however, leaving Liberty to instead recruit Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali, who will take over from Carey on January 1, 2021.

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While Domenicali served as Ferrari team principal and the team is close to his heart, it was a role he vacated over six years ago, and water has effectively passed under the bridge.

The feeling from Wolff is that jumping ship directly from Mercedes into the top job in F1 would have been a step too far for Ferrari, while he has also professed his love for his current role and that of being at the competitive end of the sport.

Asked whether he had ever thrown his hat into the ring to replace Carey, Wolff said: “No, I didn’t.

"I think everybody knows there were some initial discussions with Greg [Maffei] and it never went anywhere.

"I think we get on well, I respect Greg a lot, what he has achieved, but I love where I am.

"I found out that I love the stopwatch so much, the competition and the racing, that where I am today, the corner of the team with Mercedes, I have to pinch myself every day.

“At the end, it wouldn’t have gone anywhere anyway because Ferrari wouldn’t have accepted that.”

Questioned on whether he genuinely believed that, Wolff added: "I know that. That’s okay.

“They have that right and if you have that right, it’s very easy to…I respect that, absolutely. I would probably have had the same thoughts.

“At the end maybe a different decision because you have got to have the best guy to run the sport and I think they have the best guy. Stefano is just the real deal.”

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