Mercedes transparency avoided 'Prost-Senna' moments - Toto Wolff

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Mercedes transparency avoided 'Prost-Senna' moments - Wolff

Wolff believes honesty has led team through dominant period

Ewan Gale

Thursday 5 November 2020 05:00

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Toto Wolff believes the transparency between management and drivers at Mercedes has led to it becoming the most dominant team in Formula 1 history.

Since the introduction of the V6 turbo-hybrid era in 2014, Mercedes has clinched all seven constructors' titles, with Lewis Hamilton winning six and Nico Rosberg one of the available drivers' championships.

During that period of time there have been flashpoints, notably between Hamilton and Rosberg, which could have prompted a similar implosion to the McLaren era of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.

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Wolff has instead pointed to the honesty shown between the hierarchy and drivers as the reason why no such fallout has occurred at Mercedes.

"I think how it evolved was that we have always been very transparent with each other," he told Sky Sports F1.

"At the beginning of my stint with Mercedes, I remember a discussion with Alain Prost and I said to him ‘What went wrong between you and Senna?’.

"He said ‘Sometimes we didn’t know whether we had the support of the team or not, and there was always politics involved’."

Whilst acknowledging he was unaware whether such a statement was accurate, Wolff has insisted the values held by Mercedes ensure the team's work environment is engaging despite the relentless nature of its pursuit of titles.

"Now, I don’t know if that is true," he added. "I wasn’t part of that and certainly they had a great era, but we don’t play politics. We play it outside, but not inside. I would never permit it.

"Transparency, being honest with each other, blaming the problem and not the person and empowerment are the values that are of utmost importance to us. That’s why it’s a good place, it’s a fun place, but it’s also a pushy place."

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