Mercedes Team Principal is one of the most influential and powerful personalities in the F1 racing industry. The former Austrian driver Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton are the two key reasons behind Mercedes’ ascend to complete domination from being a midfield outfit. The German outfit has won consistently over the past decade, with eight straight constructors’ championships since 2014. Hence, there is no doubt that such levels of domination lead to a great amount of influence that could be used to get things done and stop things that are not in their favor.
Toto Wolff is always under the radar and has been involved in a series of controversies this year. Several teams have accused that the Mercedes boss has been actively pushing for a regulation change to reduce the front-running teams’ pace. However, the Austrian has found himself in another controversy involving the Andrettis.
Recently, the 1978 F1 world champ Mario Andretti took a dig at Toto Wolff. He claimed that the Mercedes boss has too much influence in the motorsport. Mario’s son Michael has been trying to establish their own outfit in the F1 industry after acing their race operations in IndyCar and Formula E. However, the proposal received some disapproval from several people, including Toto Wolff.
Andretti Criticizes Toto Wolff On Twitter
The 50-year-old objected to Andretti’s entry into Formula 1, questioning the value they would bring to the paddock. Wolff reckoned that the 11th team to join the circuit must demonstrate how creative they could be for the F1 business. The Mercedes team principal added that Andretti is a great name and applauded the exceptional work they have done in the US. However, he advocated, “But this is sport and this is business. We need to understand what is it that you can provide to the sport.”
The recent comments of Toto Wolff resulted in an article from Grandprix247.com suggesting that Wolff’s voice is much louder than his fellow team principal in the motorsport. Later, Andretti retweeted the article on his official Twitter account. Mario wrote, “This needed to be said; it’s about time.”
Toto Wolff has certainly grown into a very important authority in the Formula 1 Industry. He owns a 33% stake in Mercedes, along with Dialmer and Ineos. Before joining the German outfit, Wolff started his F1 journey with Williams in 2009. The Austrian brought shared in the teams and served as a board member before becoming William’s executive director.