Amidst Rumors of Falling Out With Mercedes, Ex F1 Supremo Once Predicted Toto Wolff’s Inevitable Exit for $22,000,000 Investment

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has been under increasing pressure as his side’s performances remain below par. Even though the Silver Arrows are currently second in the championship, leaders Red Bull have almost scored double the points. And as Mercedes continues to struggle, an old interview featuring former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone has come to light. The 92-year-old once shockingly predicted that Wolff might leave Mercedes after Lawrence Stroll invested in Aston Martin.

While only time will tell if Wolff leaves the team or not, several shocking reports have emerged about the pressure the Austrian is currently under to deliver. According to Business F1, several experts have slammed Wolff for living far away from his team.

The report states that Wolff, who currently resides in Monaco, has been urged to follow Red Bull team principal Christian Horner’s footsteps and move close to his Mercedes base in Brackley. Many believe that since Wolff is living far away from his team, they are struggling.

And in stark contrast, Horner, who lives in close proximity to Milton Keynes, can help Red Bull deliver results. However, it is pertinent to note that if Wolff does end up following in the footsteps of his arch-rival, then it would cost him a whopping $10,000,000 a year in additional personal tax.

Even though the pressure is currently on Wolff because of his failure to deliver, it is important to note that Ecclestone once predicted that the Austrian would leave the team despite his successes. Ecclestone made these remarks in March 2020 when Wolff had just guided Mercedes to their sixth Constructors’ title.

Bernie Ecclestone once predicted Toto Wolff will leave Mercedes

Since Toto Wolff’s good friend, Lawrence Stroll, made a whopping $235 million investment in Aston Martin, Bernie Ecclestone believed that the Austrian may leave Mercedes to join their rivals. The 92-year-old expected Wolff to make such a move as he believed the Mercedes team principal had nothing to prove after winning six consecutive titles.

After making this point, he added in an interview with f1-insider.com, “As far as I know, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has long decided to leave Mercedes and join forces with Lawrence Stroll to buy Aston Martin. The two have been travelling inseparably for two years like twins around the world“.

It is likely that Ecclestone would have passed these comments as Wolff also made a substantial investment in Aston Martin. According to F1 reporter Joe Pompliano, Wolff invested $22,000,000 in the team to buy a stake of 1% in the team, an investment that also got him in trouble for insider trading.

While Wolff and Stroll shared an extremely close relationship at one stage, it is believed that there has been some tension between the two after Aston Martin’s recent bold decision. Aston Martin recently decided to snub Mercedes engines from the 2026 season onwards and instead get Honda on board as their works supplier.

Has Aston Martin’s snub strained the relations of Wolff and Stroll?

According to Business F1, Aston Martin CEO Martin Whitmarsh is the primary reason why Lawrence Stroll and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff have recently been at odds. And this is because Whitmarsh helped Aston Martin secure the partnership with Honda for the 2026 engines.

And what makes the situation between Stroll and Wolff worse is that Whitmarsh did not believe contacting Mercedes about this move was essential. After making such a call, Whitmarsh defended himself by stating that he decided solely to benefit Aston Martin.

However, Mercedes are unlikely to take this move too kindly. Moreover, considering Aston Martin’s ambitions of fighting for the world championship soon, the relationship between Stroll and Wolff is likely to remain strained.