According to research data, 1-in-7 people worldwide are affected by mental health illness. This is approx 15% of the total population. And sadly, everyone’s favorite F1 team boss, Toto Wolff from Mercedes, is one of them. The Silver Arrows’ principal, who led the team from zero to the eighth world championship, is reportedly not in a very good mental state today as his team is losing everything. In 2013, he joined Mercedes after being promoted from Williams. And that’s when he started facing the same overthinking problem that the entire world is fed up with.
The thought of being unique, the urge to make wins, and maintaining consistency were always there with Toto Wolff. He joined Mercedes, and the winning probability of the team was increased to 100% for eight whole years, claiming seven-world championships, 6 with Lewis Hamilton and 1 with Nico Rosberg. The engineers did the best job during the turbo hybrid era when Mercedes was dominant in Formula One. But just as today, when the team is at its lowest, the responsibility goes on Toto’s shoulder as all the credit for when Mercedes was on the top most goes to Wolff too. It was he who led Mercedes together with his fantastic management skills and brilliant mind. However, the most exciting thing coming from Wolff’s story is to know that he did all of that with serious overthinking issues.
Sam Knight, a journalist, has explained how the Austrian Mercedes boss is a “natural star.” Wolff always manages to stay one step ahead of everyone, but how this has ruined his mental peace, explains the journalist.
How Did Mercedes Boss Toto Wolff Become An Overthinker?
No doubt, Mercedes always took one move in advance under the leadership of Toto Wolff. But this, according to a British Journalist, Matthew Syed, developed a habit of overthinking in the German motorsports team’s boss. Not only the two mentioned above but also a lot of people in the Formula One paddock have seen Toto Wolff’s other side, where he is more of an overthinker despite being a passionate and energetic principal of Mercedes.
Everyone knows James Vowles and how close he was with Toto Wolff while they worked together [Toto as boss, and James as the chief strategist]. Now Vowles is a team principal himself, in Williams following the path as the Mercedes current boss. But speaking of Wolff, Vowles says, “He overthinks, which is a big problem.” He even explained that when Toto faces a problem, he starts to exaggerate things in his mind up to a level no one can imagine.
Now comes the question, why? What is the reason behind the constant overthinking issue of Toto Wolff? Matthew Syed suggests it happens because of the fact that Wolff does not belong to a racing background. He comes from the finance field. The Austrian indeed wanted to become a driver when he was young, but for some reason, he could not. His father died. The dream remained unfulfilled, and the life problems that are hidden from all must have developed the seral anxiety and overthinking issue in the Mercedes boss.
