Mercedes have had a largely successful season, with both titles comfortably in their reach. Last week, Toto Wolff and Co. celebrated their seventh Constructors’ title in Imola with a 1-2 finish.

However, the team personnel’s contract situations have not been as straightforward as their season. Both Wolff and Lewis Hamilton are yet to ink new deals and are keeping everyone guessing at the moment.

Speaking in the pre-race press conference, Wolff once emphasized not leaving Mercedes, considering his shareholding duties. More importantly, he revealed the qualities he is looking for in a team principal going forward.

Toto Wolff wants his successor to be as “motivated” as himself

The Mercedes boss is quoted as saying, “Our engineering arm, Applied Science, is growing strongly. And I believe that I should hand over the baton as team principal to somebody that will start his journey with the same motivation and energy that I had when I started. “

Last week at Imola, Wolff had even hinted that he had a name in mind of who could take up the duties when the time was right. At the moment, it feels like he will stick on for perhaps a couple more years at best, before handing over the reins to someone else.

“That is a natural progression that we have done on technical level over the many years and I would be very proud seeing somebody performing better than I do.

“And I will be watching that from a different, more senior role,” concluded Wolff.

It has been widely speculated that current technical director James Allison could be one person to take over from Wolff. As it stands, the public is not aware of any concrete options.

The Austrian has guided Mercedes to an incredibly glorious era

No one would’ve placed their bets on the German manufacturer team when they first started out in 2010. There were doubts about whether they would be able to match the likes of Ferrari and McLaren.

Fast forward to 2020, Mercedes has smashed a myriad of records and secured titles on both fronts, making the decade a successful one for the team. Leading the charge from the paddock was the crucial figure of Toto Wolff.

He has enabled a structure in place which sees Mercedes capable enough of competing, even without his presence. But for the time being, the team’s fans will be able to enjoy more of Toto Wolff while he is still at the paddock.