Toto Wolff has revealed that he chose to “go on indefinitely” in Formula 1 back in 2020 after the birth of his son.
The Mercedes team principal welcomed a baby son in 2017 with Susie Wolff just months after committing to another three-year deal with the German manufacturer. 2020 saw Wolff contemplate walking away from F1 to not only have more family time, but also focus on business ventures elsewhere.
Eventually, the Austrian chose to remain with Mercedes and he now intends to do so for a very long time despite a tough couple of years competitively.
“The two things (life and work) cannot be separated,” Wolff said to Motorsport.com Italia.
“Winning the championships was the only way to give value to the company, sporting success also brings financial success with it.
“In 2013 I signed a three-year contract, and it was a very good period, so I renewed for another three years and then another three-year contract.
“In 2020 I had to decide what to do, go on indefinitely or quit. And I chose the first possibility”.
Changing the plan
Wolff has always been very strong-minded and had every intention of walking away from the sport before he turned 50 years of age but something changed his mind.
“My plan in a way was to finish at 49,” Wolff added. “The idea I had previously was to do something else, I wouldn’t have imagined myself over 50 as team principal.
“But something in me has changed, in the past my every project was based on a very clear guideline: buy shares in a company, develop it, and then sell the shares, and this was the program when my adventure in Formula 1 began
“But in 2020 I came to the conclusion that for the first time in my life I felt like staying where I was, and I changed my strategy.”
