Mercedes "swings between mania and depression" - Toto Wolff

Mercedes

Mercedes "swings between mania and depression" - Wolff

Wolff was explaining the difference in short and long-term focus in F1

Ewan Gale

Monday 14 June 2021 13:15

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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has revealed how being "only as good as your last race" leads to "swings between mania and depression" inside his organisation.

Mercedes has won the last seven constructors' championships in dominant fashion since the introduction of the current turbo-hybrid era but is facing a sterner test this season from Max Verstappen and Red Bull.

In an Oxford University 'Leadership in Extraordinary Times' discussion earlier this month, Wolff was asked about self-criticism and compartmentalising issues in order to progress from race to race.

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"There is this short-term interest which is the race car and its power unit and how can we optimise it and how can we learn from our mistakes," said Wolff.

"I often hear organisations go public and say it is really difficult for us because we need to quarterly report and we need to satisfy our stakeholders, the analysts or shareholders.

"Well, in our industry, you report 20 times a year because you are only as good as your last race and everybody swings between mania and depression.

"If we lose, it is the end of the Mercedes era and if we win, it is the dominant force going forward in the next five years so it is very important to balance between the long- and short-term interest of the team."

Wolff needing to find balance

As a leading figure in F1, Wolff is part of a select group of people that has the power to shape the sport for the future.

Whilst his main focus is success in the short term, the Austrian explained he has to strike a balance between his visions for both the team and F1.

"You would say an F1 team is focused on a short-term future but it is not quite as simple because we are part of a group of stakeholders that define future regulations that define the long-term strategy," he added.

"How do we see the sport in 10 years from now? What are the communication channels and the way of deploying the content? What kind of technology do we want to have in our cars in terms of sustainable fuels or hybrid engines, electric propulsion?

"I need to balance my time between being a part of the decision-making process going forward because the platform needs to fly.

"Only if we are having fans and audiences interested in the sport then myself and Mercedes can keep doing what we are doing."