Dr. Toto Wolff

Biography

Toto Wolff is the Team Principal and CEO of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. Born in humble surroundings in Vienna, Austria, Toto developed a passion for motorsport at the age of 17 when he watched a friend compete at the Nürburgring in Germany. He had a short career in single-seater racing and later successfully competed in national rallying, touring cars, and the world championship GT racing. After dropping out of the Vienna University of Economics and Business, he founded one of the earliest tech-focused venture capital firms in Europe and made a series of high-profile investments in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was also a co-founder of HWA AG, which was instrumental in winning ten DTM titles for Mercedes-Benz and achieving 450 wins in Formula 3. In 2009, Toto entered Formula 1 by acquiring a stake in Williams F1 Team and became the team's Executive Director in 2012, leading them to victory at the Spanish Grand Prix. His analysis of the performance of Formula 1 teams led him to acquire a 30% stake in the Brackley-based Mercedes F1 team alongside co-shareholder Niki Lauda. Under his leadership, the Mercedes F1 team has achieved seven consecutive World Championship doubles, making it the most successful team in F1 history. Toto also partners with Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team and continues to invest in technology startups.

Research Interests

Experience