(Video) Toto Wolff refuses to give a clear answer over Lewis Hamilton being the leader at Mercedes

Toto Wolff wasn't too convinced with Lewis Hamilton being the 'leader' of Mercedes after 12 highly successful years.

(Video) Toto Wolff refuses to give a clear answer over Lewis Hamilton being the leader at Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff (via Planetf1, High Performance Podcast, Screenshot)

Lewis Hamilton‘s stint with Mercedes for over 12 years had caused the driver to earn massive respect within the team. A majority of the crew members trusted Hamilton’s gut and gave him a lot of respect as a human. However, Toto Wolff being the actual leader of the team wasn’t too glad with this due to the Briton’s move to Ferrari. As a result, Wolff refused to clearly label the seven-time world champion as a ‘leader’.

Toto Wolff‘s strained relationship with Lewis Hamilton became evident after the latter’s shocking switch to Ferrari in 2025. Wolff had already talked ill about Hamilton’s move which caused the former issues in acquiring other talented drivers. Hence, in a recent podcast, the Mercedes boss highlighted that he struggled with the word ‘leader’. The reason for this was that there were ‘many leaders’ within the team as everyone tried their best.

I really struggle with the word leader because a leader for me is that you stand above your people, not with them. There’s so many leaders in this organisation, and everybody tries to be the best team or yourself in the role. 

Toto Wolff said on the High Performance Podcast

Wolff further reckoned that he tried his best to contribute to the team as the principal. Meanwhile, Hamilton did his fair share only as a driver but not as a ‘leader’ per se. The 53-year-old added that James Allison was the leader of the engineers of the team. As a result, the Austrian made it clear that there were ‘many leaders’ within the team and weren’t limited to the Mercedes star.

I’m trying to contribute best as a team principal, Lewis is a leader as a driver, James Allison is a leader with his engineers. So many other people are leaders in the organisation. Only if we do good in our position, and we share those objectives, are we going to be successful. 

Toto Wolff noted

Toto Wolff opened up about self-doubts while leading Mercedes during a tough phase

Toto Wolff felt the effect of Mercedes’s downfall in performance a lot higher than other members of the team. As a result, the Mercedes boss started doubting himself and questioning if he was performing up to his level. Moreover, these doubts weren’t limited to Formula 1 as Wolff even doubted minuscule things like ‘reading the right thing in the morning’ to put himself in a good mood.

Every day there’s a moment where I’m thinking, Am I really performing to my own expectations here? It starts from the morning, have I used the morning positively? I’m reading the news in the morning for a long time. Did I read the right thing to put me in a good state of mind to perform in the morning, or did I read some trash?

Toto Wolff noted
Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff (via racefans.net)
Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff (via racefans.net)

Some of these attributes from Wolff helped the team achieve so much glory in Formula 1 alongside Lewis Hamilton. The Briton’s switch to Ferrari was definitely a low-point for the team but it wasn’t the end. Hence, the German carmaker is all prepared to face the upcoming season alongside the newly acquired prodigy Kimi Antonelli.