Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff once again finds himself in the headlines following a shocking revelation by a journalist. A Spanish journalist named Pedro Fermin Flores has recently suggested that the Austrian is keen to succeed F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
When quizzed about the same, the journalist replied (as quoted by GP Blog), “Why wouldn’t Toto succeed? Crazier things have happened in life“. However, Flores never revealed his source.
All he stated was that Wolff now desires more power. The journalist believes that it can be speculated that Wolff is after Domenicali’s job since the Austrian stated following his knee injury last year that he wants to focus on other things.
However, the journalist doesn’t believe it will be easy for Wolff to get Domenicali’s job. He pointed out how the 51-year-old will need the support of his rival team principals.
Since Wolff doesn’t have the best of relationships with his rivals, it seems unlikely that they will be in favor of having the Mercedes boss in such a position of power. The animosity that Wolff shares with Red Bull boss Christian Horner is well known because of the battles their two sides shared over the last few years.
However, there’s a chance that Wolff perhaps doesn’t even see eye to eye with some of the other team bosses. Since Mercedes dominated the turbo-hybrid era from 2014 to 2021, many of the team principals perhaps don’t like Wolff. However, it’s pertinent to note that all of the rest of the team principals did indeed support Wolff in a recent major controversy involving the Austrian and his wife, Susie.
The controversy was about a potential conflict of interest where a team principal and a FOM member perhaps exchanged confidential information. Toto is a team principal, whereas Susie is a FOM member.
Does Toto Wolff make a good candidate for F1 CEO?
There is no doubt that Toto Wolff has years of leadership experience. In just over a decade, the Austrian has guided Mercedes to eight Constructors’ titles and has helped his side break several records in the process.
Moreover, the 51-year-old is also likely to have a strong relationship with the FIA. This is because he most likely played a role in helping Susie Wolff get the role of managing director of the F1 Academy.
Toto Wolff says Mercedes’ “clear objective” is to “race for championships” in 2024 and 2025.
He says he is “hopeful” for 2024. pic.twitter.com/rKEOzeG590
— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) December 28, 2023
Another reason why Wolff is likely to be a strong candidate for F1 CEO is because he has been a team leader for several years and knows the ins and outs of the sport. Furthermore, it is pertinent to note that current F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali was also once the team principal of Ferrari.
The Italian took over the position of F1 CEO from Chase Carey in 2021 after leading the Ferrari F1 team from 2008 to 2014, followed by leading Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. from 2016 to 2020. According to motorsport.com, an F1 CEO’s primary responsibility is to oversee the major changes that take place in a sport.
For example, when Domenicali stepped in as CEO, he policed and implemented the budget cap in 2021 followed by the new technical regulations in 2022. Another key responsibility that Domenicali has is to plan ways in which he can help F1 expand further.
