Toto Wolff vetting two or three candidates to succeed him at Mercedes
Toto Wolff is preparing a succession structure at Mercedes that would split his duties between two or three people rather than appoint a single direct replacement. Wolff, who has served as team principal since 2013 and is also CEO of the motorsport division, said he is already vetting candidates whose different strengths could cover responsibilities ranging from technical oversight and commercial negotiations to driver management.
Mercedes briefly used a divided leadership model in late 2023, when Wolff missed the Japanese and Qatari Grands Prix while recovering from knee surgery. Communications director Bradley Lord and former driver development head Jerome d’Ambrosio assumed operational trackside duties, although d’Ambrosio has since left for Ferrari. Wolff said the demands of Formula 1’s 24-race calendar make it essential to create a team capable of operating without him.
Any departure is unlikely to be complete because Wolff retains a 33% stake in the team alongside INEOS and Mercedes-Benz. He could eventually become an executive or non-executive chairman, but stressed that such a role would need strict boundaries. He said he would not interfere in daily decisions, contact drivers directly or publicly second-guess his successors, arguing that Mercedes’ long-term stability matters more to him than protecting a personal legacy.
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