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<\/p>\nMercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff has revealed one of the key lessons he learned from the way he handled Mercedes\u2019 slump in fortunes after its dominant run of consecutive world championships.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From 2014-2021 Mercedes won eight consecutive constructors\u2019 championships and seven drivers\u2019 titles during an unprecedented period of F1 dominance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But during the ground effect rules era from 2022-2025 it struggled to regularly compete for victories, and Wolff has admitted that adapting to a spell where Mercedes wasn\u2019t as competitive taught him valuable lessons about how to manage the team – particularly when one of its key players tried to quit in late 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wolff recalled the story in great detail when speaking at the Milken Institute Asia Summit 2026 in Singapore ahead of this weekend\u2019s Singapore Grand Prix, explaining how his actions in front of the media had driven Mercedes\u2019 technical director James Allison to want to leave the team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA few years ago we won eight constructor championships in a row and suddenly the regs changed and we really crashed down,\u201d Wolff told moderator Ray Dalio on stage at the event.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNow when you look at the stats in 20 years people are going to say that wasn\u2019t so bad because we won eight times in a row. First-first-first-first-first-first-first-first, second-third-fourth-second doesn\u2019t look like complete losers. But back in the day that felt pretty bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking about Allison, who he didn\u2019t name directly, Wolff said: \u201cI have this unbelievable technical director, he\u2019s the best the sport has ever seen. He\u2019s also like a brother in crime for me, and I put pressure and pressure [on him], because pressure is the way I\u2019ve worked in the organisation, setting the expectations so high.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I came to a situation that, we lost another race we expected to win – Brazil 2023. We won Brazil in a year [2022] that was really bad. Next year the season is pretty average, we go to Brazil, our expectation is \u2018this is where our car is good, this is where the drivers drive well, we\u2019ve got to win\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cAnd it was a massive disappointment. We were nowhere. And by the end of the race I fell in a trap from a journalist who said to me, \u2018Does that car deserve to win?\u2019, and I said \u2018No it doesn\u2019t deserve to win<\/a>\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cMy technical director and chief designer said they watched it on Sky [UK broadcaster of F1] and they thought I was directly speaking to them, which in a way I was.\u201d<\/p>\n Wolff said those comments triggered Allison to decide he\u2019d had enough and he needed to leave Mercedes.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI came back and this ally of mine says, \u2018I\u2019m quitting, I can\u2019t take your pressure anymore. How do you think I feel? Do you think I don\u2019t make myself pressure of trying to be successful? If you think you are hating the situation can you believe how much I hate it? I\u2019m responsible for the technical things\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
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