The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff

OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work

Alex Kalinauckas Feb 1, 2023, 11:39 AM

"Mercedes seems to be fumbling in the dark. It's not a question of a certain individual not being good enough, it's about whether the culture of the way a team operates is conducive to success."

So stated Autosport magazine in October 2012 – just a week after Lewis Hamilton had been announced as joining Mercedes and ending his long association with McLaren. In our 4 October issue that year, we were assessing the fallout from Hamilton’s decision to join the Silver Arrows squad and wondering what it might one day mean for the reputations of both driver and (then) upcoming new team.

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Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.