Toto Wolff confirms he has Mercedes team principal successor in mind

Mercedes

Wolff confirms he has Mercedes team principal successor in mind

Austrian is set to dilute his role in 2021

Ian Parkes & Will Gray

Sunday 1 November 2020 19:06

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Toto Wolff has confirmed he has in mind his successor as team principal at Mercedes should he opt to step aside at the end of the season.

Wolff is currently in discussions with parent company Daimler about changing his role as he looks to step away from the day-to-day challenge of running the team.

The Austrian, who holds a 30 per cent share in the F1 marque, was able to celebrate a record-breaking seventh consecutive constructors' title after Lewis Hamilton spearheaded a Mercedes one-two in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola.

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As to his future, speaking to Sky Sports F1, Wolff replied: "My situation is a little bit different because I am a co-owner, with Mercedes, of the team.

"So I am never going to abandon it because it’s just what I love to do. What’s better than to be part of a sports team, such a fantastic gang of people?

"What I said was I believe everybody has a certain shelf life in a role. I haven’t come to the end of mine, I think I can still contribute.

"But I need to think about the future, going forward, and bringing someone up, developing him to do this role, which is something that is a fantastic challenge for me.

"That will be one of the next chapters but you will see me around for a while."

Asked as to whether he had anyone in mind, Wolff replied: "I have, but I can’t tell you."

Wolff said finalising his own contract is “just down to putting pen on paper at the right moment” but revealed the current situation caused by Covid-19 has only served to re-ignite his passion for race attendance.

“I am travelling to all the races, being in the office Monday morning until Friday, there is a lot of sacrifices that are related to this, not only sacrifice in your personal life but also it just needs a lot of effort all the time,” added Wolff in a separate media session.

“But at the moment, with this weird lockdown, it has rejuvenated me. I really enjoy going to the races, I enjoy the camaraderie with the team and seeing everybody just giving it its best shot.”

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