Before being promoted to the role of team principal at Williams, James Vowles had worked as a top aide for Toto Wolff at Mercedes for quite a few years. In a report by The New Yorker, Vowles – the then-chief strategist of the team, revealed the biggest problem that Wolff suffers from.
Talking about the Mercedes team principal, Vowles said, “Truthfully, he overthinks. That’s his big problem. He tries to take a problem and think it to a range that is just not possible.”
Vowles had been a part of the Mercedes team ever since its inception back in 2010. He functioned as the chief strategist till 2019 after which he was promoted to the Motorsport Strategy Director. His incredible work alongside Wolff helped Mercedes enjoy years of unprecedented success.
Apart from Vowles, current Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur also gave his opinion regarding Wolff’s overthinking. The Frenchman had claimed that Wolff is almost like a maniac and he cannot switch off even when he is enjoying a holiday.
However, it’s pertinent to note that Wolff is the same man who has led Mercedes to eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships. Therefore, it definitely cannot be said that everything is negative about the way Wolff works.
Toto Wolff led Mercedes to become one of the most successful F1 teams ever
Toto Wolff joined Mercedes back in January 2013 as the executive director of the team. Wolff subsequently took over all the activities of the team and became the team principal of the Silver Arrows.
With the 2014 F1 season bringing in new regulations, Mercedes kicked off their era of supreme dominance. In 2020, the team overtook Ferrari’s record of having the most number of consecutive Constructors’ titles, becoming one of the most successful teams in F1 history.
As of now, Mercedes are nowhere close to where they used to be. The team has just managed to win one race since the beginning of the 2022 campaign. Wolff admits that things have been extremely tough for the team recently, but he is also optimistic that they will bounce back soon.
