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“No D***heads”: Toto Wolff Shares the Beautiful Culture That Exists in Mercedes F1

Published 11/24/2020, 1:08 PM EST

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via Reuters

Since his arrival at Mercedes, Toto Wolff has held the team up in several times of distress. When he came in 2013, problems were plenty in the team. But he took the role head on.

We often quote Wolff, mentioning the importance of mental health and trust. It is his belief that for a team to function as smoothly as Mercedes does, understanding is primary. Well, the knack he has in understanding people is the inspiration for his colleagues.

We care for each other in the team and I think this is being felt. But it’s not all schmoozing and we are all so happy with each other, there’s also a way of coping with pressure. It’s a safe environment.states the Mercedes Principal.

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via Reuters

The team at Mercedes appears to be very tight. Well, that does not come naturally. Earlier, Wolff mentioned to F1.com, their policy, which at this point appears to be working well for them.

We have a sports psychologist in the team called Ceri Evans who is also the sports psychologist for the All Blacks. One of the mottos for the All Blacks is ‘No d***heads’ and we kind of took that philosophy to us as well,” remarked Wolff

Mercedes principal recalls his 2015 birthday explaining his bond with the team

Toto Wolff appears very closely knitted with his team. His famous interview where he mentions ‘2000 team principals‘ gives us a huge insight into the person. However, this situation of peace within the team was not acquired easily.

We have no hire-and-fire policy, we don’t blame each other. It can be heated, and that’s very important, diversity of opinion. But it never leads to a situation where we fall out with each other. If we fall out, at the beginning, that means the characters didn’t fit to each other.” elaborates Toto Wolff.

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Here with F1, he recalls an anecdote from his life around the year 2015. This would be clear rendition of how much the team means to him. It clarifies, that he his life revolves only around his team.

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There is a lot of camaraderie, I would call it. I had a weird situation in 2015. I moved to the UK living in Oxford until today. On 12th of January is my birthday. My wife Suzie said, ‘who do you want to invite?’

“The only people I could imagine inviting were my close confidants of the team. We ended up having a dinner with 10 or more colleagues of mine with their wives, and that shows how close we were straight from the get-going.” said Toto Wolff.

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After Mercedes bagged their 7th title, Wolff’s rumors of leaving have glowed brighter. Even he himself has certified the rumors to be true. However, will he be able to step down from that place from where he influenced so many lives? It is a tough call for the Austrian, but he would not want to choke the rising talent in his team.

“We Put Them All in a Room…”- Toto Wolff Shares Mercedes’ Trick to Staying “Mentally Fit”

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Written by:

Indrasish Ganguly

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Indrasish Ganguly is an F1 author at Essentially Sports. An avid fan of the F1 championship, the Kolkata based writer admires Lewis Hamilton the most on the F1 grid. His interest in racing stems from his love for cars and speed.
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