“It Makes Me Cringe a Lot”: Toto Wolff Avoids Watching Netflix’s Drive to Survive

Drive to Survive did a lot for F1 as it took an already popular sport to unforeseen heights and helped the stars of the pinnacle of motorsports explore new markets that they had previously failed to tap into. It also shed light on Team Principals and the roles they play in the sport, but Toto Wolff never really saw what they portrayed.

Wolff became a star of the show from season two onwards after Mercedes, his team, opted out of the first. He has featured in every edition since but recently admitted to never watching the Netflix docuseries apart from a few clips here and there.

“Hearing or watching yourself, it makes me cringe a lot,” he said to Today’s YouTube channel. “You just have to cope with it in a way that others are watching.” 

Lewis Hamilton’s conversion with Toto Wolff in the new Drive to Survive season 6 trailer! #Formula1 #LewisHamilton pic.twitter.com/wt43VjdLsr

— Desi Racing Co (@DesiRacingco) February 20, 2024

Drive to Survive has extensively covered Wolff’s journey as Mercedes’ Team Principal over the last few years. It perfectly captured the moments when his team achieved unprecedented success and also followed him when the Silver Arrows entered a slump.

For Wolff, being popular means coming to terms with the fact that after a while, fame becomes normal. “It becomes the complete normality, which, the risk of you being arrogant, thinking this is the way it goes.”  

Why the stars of the show don’t watch themselves

Wolff became a household name among F1 fans because of Drive to Survive, but if there’s someone who reaped the highest rewards for being part of the show and had his popularity skyrocket, it is Guenther Steiner. The former Haas Team Principal’s blunt choice of words and hilarious reactions made him a fan favorite.

The show turned Team Principals into rockstars, so much so that ahead of certain American races, there were ‘Team Principals’ parade’, similar to the drivers. However, just like Wolff, Steiner never watches himself.

“I don’t want to change because it’s me,” Steiner said when asked why not. “I also don’t listen to myself on radio interviews because it’s just something I don’t enjoy. It’s not like I’m afraid of it, I just don’t enjoy it.”

Regardless, being a part of the journey is big, not just because it makes him—and dozens of others—more famous. But because it’s great for F1 as a sport to appeal to newer audiences.

A prime example is Max Verstappen, who doesn’t like being a part of the ‘fake drama’ associated with the show, and even refused to take part in one installment. Still, for the greater good, he returned.