Toto Wolff extends Mercedes F1 management contract for a further 3 seasons

The iconic boss of the Mercedes F1 Team, Toto Wolff, stated in an interview with The Telegraph that he will indeed remain at Mercedes until the end of the 2026 season. The Austrian, who owns one-third of the Mercedes F1 Team, will continue to lead the team in a sporting capacity for the next three Formula 1 seasons.

“I believe that the most important thing between us three (himself, Jim Ratcliffe, INEOS CEO, and Ola Källenius, Mercedes President, note) is that we trust each other,” Wolff explained. “Ultimately, as a shareholder myself, I want the best return on investment. And the best return on investment is winning.”

Toto Wolff, who joined Mercedes in 2013, has led the team during its dominant period in the hybrid era. Mercedes has won all the championships from 2014 to 2020 under his leadership, becoming one of the most accomplished teams in Formula 1 history.

« I am part of this team in various functions, Wolff continued. « I am a co-shareholder. I am on the board of directors. These are things that will not change, regardless of whether I have an executive or non-executive role. But I feel good. The risk for me is always more about boredom than exhaustion. That’s why I embrace the challenges we have today, even if they sometimes seem very, very difficult to manage, confessed the Austrian director.

Since the introduction of the new technical regulations in 2022, Mercedes has fallen in the hierarchy, failing to adapt to the regulations on ground effect. The team has only won one Grand Prix in the last two seasons, finishing third and second respectively in the constructors’ championships in 2022 and 2023.

I have never had a performance clause. Either you trust each other or you don’t. And we are aligned as shareholders, Wolff concluded.

The Mercedes season will start on February 14th with the presentation of their future Formula 1 car, the W15, at Silverstone.