Toto Wolff is often seen as a staunch man. And, following his and Mercedes’ battle with Red Bull in 2021, the team principal’s image has always been that of someone aggressive and team-centric, with his humane side seemingly lost. But the humane side now appears to be very much there.

The Mercedes boss always keeps an eye on his close ones and always backs them. He protects them, whether they are his drivers or team members, which is his show of love. But all of this affection, including that he has for Lewis Hamilton, can’t be matched by the respect and admiration that he holds for the late three-time world champion and former non-executive president of Mercedes, Niki Lauda.

Wolff and Lauda were very close, and since Lauda’s death three years ago, the Mercedes boss has been missing him. He has paid tributes previously through his comments, most notably by naming the Mercedes F1 factory road after Lauda. This time on the Beyond the Grid podcast, the German expressed that he misses his compatriot.

On the Beyond the Grid podcast, Wolff said, “Above all, I miss him as a friend. We spent so much time together, going to each race, every weekend dinner, we met to discuss what had happened during the day or family affairs. And this friend is gone. It’s like part of my life in Formula 1 is gone.”

“And I had to recalibrate myself, but there are evenings when I don’t want to meet someone else or go to events where I knew it was a night when I could have sat with Niki at a table and laugh. These days are over, so I’m going to take room service on my own. So I think of him every day. Especially last season too, I’m sure he would have been an excellent partner and a sounding board.”

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Toto claims his life has changed entirely. He now likes to have his food alone if his wife isn’t there. A display of such an emotional and open side is rarely seen in a sport as competitive as Formula 1 and must be encouraged as it will help bring out the human side in the drivers and other personnel that we only see competing.

Toto Wolff on Niki Lauda solving problems: He loved it

Toto and Lauda worked closely for years at Mercedes, starting in 2013, when the duo first held stakes in the Mercedes F1 team. And Toto believes that given the circumstances in 2022 for the team, Niki would’ve loved it.

He said, “He loved it. When things were too easy, he was bored. When it got difficult, that’s when his determination came out. He felt and wondered ’ what can we do to change that?’.

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The sports fraternity misses such legends of the sport as it continues to grow. Incidents such as this are what make us love F1 beyond the top-class racing.