Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has opened up on mental health issues which he has struggled with during his time in Formula 1.
Wolff has been involved in F1 since he bought a share of Williams in 2009, becoming executive director in 2012 and went on to join Mercedes in 2013.
The 52-year-old led Mercedes to an unprecedented eight consecutive constructors’ titles between 2014 and 2021, as well as seeing Lewis Hamilton set new records for the most poles and wins in F1, as he equalled Michael Schumacher’s record of seven drivers’ championships.
However, there have been times where Wolff struggled with his mental health.
“I have struggled so badly with these things, for months not being able to have a clear thought but I came to the realisation that it comes with a lot of advantages,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1‘s Martin Brundle.
“I call it a superpower. This is what I want to give people that have mental health issues as a hope.
“I was thinking when I was really bad at times, ‘that person hasn’t got what I have’, and that’s why that person can be more successful.”
Wolff’s Monaco party moment
Wolff was a racing driver for a short period for a few years in his early 20s, racing in Austrian Formula Ford and scored a class win at the 1994 Nurburgring 24 Hours.
At 25, Wolff pursued a business career, studying at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, before founding his own investment company, Marchfifteen, in 1998, then Marchsixteen, in 2004.
“One very important moment came to me. I was successful with my business, I sold it and moved to Monaco. I was in my late 20s and there was a Grand Prix,” explained Wolff.
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Wolff described Lewis Hamilton’s win at the British Grand Prix as a ‘fairytale’
“There was a party and I was there as a guest of someone and I saw these very successful people having a party and I thought, ‘they don’t suffer, in a way I do, that’s why they are successful’.
“Twenty years later, I’ve broken those records and I would never have imagined that. What I want to say is with that superpower, when you struggle, you are a sensitive person, and that can be negative or very positive. Some of the strengths come from reading the room, understanding a person and seeing through a person, calling bull***t when it needs to be called.
“I generally have a feeling for what people need in order to perform. That’s why I speak openly about it. That’s why us in F1, laughing at the camera, being so cold, successful, we have struggles. It’s not every day we wake up and say what a great life we have.”
Wolff speaks to psychologists
Wolff signed a deal at the start of this year to remain as Mercedes team principal and CEO until at least the end of 2026.
The rollercoaster of emotions that an F1 season brings can be tricky to deal with, particularly when 24 race weekends mean lots of time spent away from friends and family.
It can be a stressful environment, such is the intensity of F1, and the never-ending push to perform and get the most out of a team.
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Wolff revealed he has seen a psychologist and encourages people to be honest if they are unhappy with something in their life.
“I always seek help. I always asked questions from a very early age. Some of the days were so bad that I found my way to a psychologist,” he said.
“There’s not a single treatment in a way that I tried from speaking to psychologists, cognitive behavioural therapy because I like to just optimise on how can I solve the problem quickly. I have done probably more than 300 or 350 hours of talking.
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George Russell and Wolff hilariously make up after the Mercedes driver swore on team radio
“I don’t report to anybody. I have a great group of colleagues and shareholders. Of course Susie [Wolff] has been a strong rock at times when I wasn’t.
“The interesting thing is these struggles in real life, when we are not where we are with the car, it doesn’t move the needle for me in terms of pain. Zero. Because I have been in much worse.
“This stress is my comfort zone. Trying to solve problems. Never to give up, even if you have been beaten down a hundred times. In a way I’m made for these tougher days.”
Formula 1 returns after the summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on August 23-25, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime