Toto Wolff opens up on Mercedes gamble that critics said would ‘burn’ Kimi Antonelli

Mercedes Formula 1 CEO and team principal Toto Wolff has spoken about how his management style changes to motivate drivers, and how he understands the pressure of racing from his time behind the wheel.

Prior to joining Mercedes as CEO and team principal in 2013, the 54-year-old raced in the Austrian Formula Ford Championship, the German Formula Ford Series, the 1994 24 Hours Nurburgring, the FIA GT Championship and the Italian GT Championship.

Discussing how he manages the drivers and the mental side of management in an interview with The Athletic, Wolff explained: "Well, I was a driver myself, so I understand the pressures that these kids are exposed to. And they’re multi-dimensional pressures.

"When we see an upcoming driver, we obviously judge on talent, raw speed, development ability, but also the management of pressure. Because in F1, it is all about pressure and handling that while being able to perform. 

"When you look at the policy of other junior teams, they fire drivers if they’re not doing well after three races. We’ve done the opposite with Kimi."

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

He continued of the young Italian driver: "We basically drafted an 18-year-old into the team that had the best track record of any junior driver in karting and smaller formulas, but he made many mistakes in year one. People were very critical of us doing it.

"They said he was too young, he makes too many mistakes, and we are burning him. And that was an absolutely calculated risk. We knew that this would happen in year one."

Throughout his time at the helm of Mercedes, Wolff has worked with the likes of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, 2016 champion Nico Rosberg, Valtteri Bottas, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. Under his leadership, Mercedes has secured eight constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles.