Toto Wolff Reveals His “Chamomile Tea” Mantra That Helps Him to Maintain ‘Good Leadership’ at Mercedes

Mercedes is going through one of the worst runs it has ever endured. The team has often faced immense criticism recently, which is sometimes justified and other times not so much. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff too has admitted that he has at times been too critical of his side. However, to make amends and make sure it doesn’t happen again, he has resorted to a rather bizarre practice. That includes sipping on some soothing chamomile tea before going out for press conferences.

Speaking with Bild, Wolff said, “Criticizing the team in front of the media is part of a balancing act that I haven’t always been able to master perfectly. Many employees are motivated when they see an ambitious boss, but sometimes I cross the line. I have to take chamomile tea before interviews to calm down.”

Mercedes’ last successful campaign ended in 2021. While Hamilton missed out on the Drivers’ Championship, Mercedes easily bagged the Constructors’ title. Since then, they have managed to register only one race win.

The recently concluded season was a winless one. As a result, Wolff expressed his frustrations in front of the media on various occasions.

In the interview, the Austrian also admitted to quickly realizing when he crosses the line. To make up for it, he shuns the boss’ image to apologize to the team at the Brackley plant the very next day of the race.

Incidentally, Toto Wolff is not the only one at Mercedes who has taken the team to task regularly. Lewis Hamilton is guilty of launching scathing attacks right from the start of the 2023 season until the final race.

Has Lewis Hamilton started to lose patience in the Mercedes project?

Noting the abysmal performance at the beginning of the 2023 season, Lewis Hamilton made some serious allegations against Mercedes. He openly criticized the engineers for ignoring his feedback and blamed them for the W14’s underwhelming start.

As the season progressed and the car did not, he questioned the team over the car’s driverability issues. To pile misery on further, he sarcastically bid the W14 goodbye, citing his happiness to never having to drive it again.

Amid all those rants, Wolff never crossed Hamilton. In fact, he only supported his feedback and urged the team to give him the best car they could. Wolff even went to the extent of warning Mercedes about Hamilton’s exit if he failed to produce a strong enough car that can help the Briton fight for a record eighth title.

Hence, 2024 will be a crucial season for the Silver Arrows to prove their mettle. If they fail to do so, the team could see a major overhaul. And that might not necessarily be limited to the driver lineup.