Sports · Motorsport · 1 hr ago
Toto Wolff says Williams’ 2012 win helped him land Mercedes role
Toto Wolff said Williams’ 2012 victory helped lead to his Mercedes role after he compared the teams’ performance and spending.
Wolff was a Williams shareholder and executive when Pastor Maldonado won the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.
At the time, Mercedes had won only once since returning to Formula 1 as a works team in 2010.
Mercedes executives asked Wolff why Williams could win while their team could not, and he said its higher spending went partly towards drivers Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg.
Wolff argued Mercedes needed a different way to run its team, with more freedom for its leader to make decisions.
He initially declined the job because he owned part of Williams, but Mercedes offered to help him buy into its team.
He joined Mercedes in 2013, and the team won eight straight constructors’ championships from 2014 to 2021.
Toto Wolff says Williams’ surprise 2012 Spanish Grand Prix victory helped him secure a role leading Mercedes’ Formula 1 team.
Wolff was a Williams shareholder and executive when Pastor Maldonado won the race.
After the victory, a Mercedes board member invited Wolff to Stuttgart to discuss Williams’ success.
Wolff said Mercedes later offered him the chance to run its team, and he joined at the start of 2013.
Mercedes won eight consecutive constructors’ championships from 2014 to 2021.
- Who
- Toto Wolff, then a Williams shareholder and executive, and Mercedes.
- What
- Wolff says Williams’ 2012 victory helped him secure the role of running Mercedes’ Formula 1 team.
- When
- The Williams victory was in 2012; Wolff joined Mercedes at the start of 2013.
- Where
- The victory was at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. Mercedes invited Wolff to Stuttgart for a discussion.
- Why
- Mercedes wanted its team to be more entrepreneurially led, and Wolff’s Williams experience helped prompt the offer.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Pastor Maldonado won the Spanish Grand Prix for Williams from pole, beating Fernando Alonso.
A Mercedes board member invited Wolff to Stuttgart to discuss Williams’ success.
Mercedes offered Wolff the chance to run its Formula 1 team.
Wolff joined Mercedes.
Mercedes won eight consecutive constructors’ championships.
- Williams victory
- 2012 Spanish Grand Prix
- Race winner
- Pastor Maldonado
- Race location
- Barcelona
- Wolff joined Mercedes
- Start of 2013
- Mercedes constructors’ titles
- Eight consecutive, from 2014 to 2021
What people are saying
How can it be that your private little team can win a race, and we, Mercedes, we can’t do any better than that?
I’m working on the same budgets, and I’m thinking about finishing in the top six.
I have a pay driver from Venezuela
we want you to run this.