How Billionaire Toto Wolff Built Mercedes’ F1 Team Into An Auto Racing Dynasty

Born in Vienna, Toto Wolff dreamed of becoming a race car driver since childhood. He came up short chasing his passion-in part because he is too tall at six-foot-five-and soon shifted to business. He founded Vienna-based tech incubator March fifteen in 1998, spending his days cold calling potential investors. Two years later, at 28, Wolff notched a profit of more than $30 million, almost entirely from the sales of text-messaging outfit UCP and video game publisher JoWooD. Flush with cash, he wound down his company and returned to his first love, auto racing, and started managing junior drivers. That led him to engine maker HWA AG, which supplied Mercedes’ lower-level racing teams. He bought 49% of HWA in 2006 and later helped take it public in a $175 million IPO, netting himself an additional $85 million.
Wolff invested in the Williams F1 racing team a few years later and helped deliver a stunning Spanish Grand Prix victory in 2012. That same year Mercedes was struggling and invited Wolff to Stuttgart to tap his expertise. He bluntly told them they were vastly under-budgeting the team, and Mercedes replied by offering him the top job. Wolff agreed, but only under the stipulation that he could buy in as a co-owner. In 2013, he departed Williams and took a 30% ownership stake in Mercedes at a $165 million valuation, Forbes estimates.
In 2021, the last year Mercedes won the Constructors’ title, the team posted its best results ever under Wolff, with revenue of $529 million and Ebidta of $128 million. Although the organization has yet to release its 2022 figures, Forbes estimates it will exceed those marks by roughly 10% and 30%, respectively.
Such turbocharged revenue has translated directly into team value. Forbes valued the Mercedes team in 2019 at $1 billion and estimates it has at least doubled since. Wolff owns 33% of the team-most of which he purchased in 2013 for an estimated $50 million-constituting the cornerstone of his $1 billion fortune. In essence, he has built a brand akin to the Dallas Cowboys, which remains the world’s most valuable sports franchise at $8 billion despite a 27-year Super Bowl drought.
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[@96wtfomg]

There is no harm in admitting that Toto was a bit ""lucky"" in the sense that he was in the right place at the right time. There is also no harm in admitting that Toto is an excellent manager, he proved it in Williams and that was what got him the offer to join Mercedes, not only as Team Principal, but as a big investor which was key to his wealth..

[@shivam77043]

Was it lucky tho, he was with Williams before he saw where merc was headed and chose to go there, people at merc liked his approach and here we are. He was lucky? No it was a good move like lewis did. He kept up the level too, if you look at 2017 regs they were radical completely different, engine power wasn't enough

[@maz4304]

@@shivam77043 there’s always an element of right place right time with successful people, especially in business, it’s a widely accepted fact. It doesn’t take away from the talent of the people - that’s still key - but would Toto have been in this position if he was born >5 years later, all other things being held constant? Probably not, and that’s there’s not much more to that than chance. Malcolm Gladwell writes about similar scenarios in his book, ‘Outliers’

[@IsraelCervantes-le4gf]

​​@@maz4304 the whole exchanging financing for equity part which was what made him successful was genius and not something that a lot of people would've thought of.

[@Mllehistoire]

I think what you call luck is being prepared well enough so that when the right opportunity arises, you are ready to seize it. Nothing comes free in life. If you do the work, luck will always find you...

[@reviewchampion-allforyou658]

8 years in row lucky? Come on ... this is work

[@RafidW9]

4:37 he said the thing!

[@Mohagnito94]

This man is also responsible for Williams last F1 win in 2012.

[@AlexandertheGreat033]

I need a book and documentary on this guy. Legendary.

[@ivorojvar]

Toto inherited the team, when it already had all the parts necessary to become the dominant team it was. Let's not forget Lauda, Schumacher, Brawn, and the early tyre test and new Power Unit development advantage. As a businessman, and investor however, there is truly no one like Toto Wolff.

[@MuhammadNiz007]

What are you talking about? Toto was the guy who is the reason for Lewis joining because Diamler wouldn't pay his salary so Niki convinced him that Lewis is necessary so he convinced PETRONAS to pay 30M£ more. He built the empire. He is the goat for a reason

[@kaekayyy2554]

@@MuhammadNiz007 niki convinced lewis, he had said so in all his interviews. The hybrid PU development had already began at merc as early as 2011, this has been stated by people who worked at merc. OP's comment is pretty much correct as the guy who had a major hand in lobbying F1 towards hybrid PUs was ross brawn, The true GOAT when it comes to team principals. Merc had a massive advantage with the tubro hybrid era. While I wont take away from toto's prowess because even guiding a team and keeping an advantage takes a lot of skill, the main reason for merc's dominance was brawn.

[@waniumairah1327]

@@kaekayyy2554 every team start began development early as 2011,cause that the year when f1 announce the hybrid pu starting 2014.Thats how f1 work,they announce change of regulation years earlier

[@kaekayyy2554]

@@waniumairah1327 did some further research... Found some articles saying merc started as back as 2007 with Hybrid research ...my bad. Dates got messed up.

[@Mohagnito94]

@Muhammad Zahooruddin Nizamani bro it's Niki and Brawn who convinced Lewis but Toto came in 2013

[@christopherodonoghue3858]

Toto’s timing was impeccable in becoming a time principle, he got the job the moment that the team had become permanent after years of very very good management, additionally it was a terrible era in F1 in that costs were not controlled a tall and Mercedes could spend just spend more than anyone on the team, Ferrari eventually matched it but it was too late has Mercedes have spend so much more over the years and ended up miles a head of everyone in aerodynamic understanding, and still carry and advantage from the spending to this day, in the last decade how much you spent correlated almost exactly to where you finished in the championship, with force India/racing point being a notable exception and the odd year Hass racing before the lack of resources finally caught up with them. Mercedes even got a top up from the parent company Daimler of around 13 million dollars as team were losing millions several years back, which obviously wasn’t an option for most teams, I honestly think the biggest Winner out of f1 d lost decade since 2013 or so has been toto wolf.

[@coin5207]

This implication that Mercedes was only ahead because of money is incorrect. At the start of the hybrid era in 2014 Mercedes was the most money efficient one among the top teams. According to some estimates by Budget Book GP they spent between 30 and 40% _less_ than Red Bull and Ferrari that year. In 2015 Mercedes, McLaren and RedBull spent about the same amount. In 2016 Mercedes again spent less than Ferrari. 2017 was when they started spending more than their rivals - and that was after already winning three constructors titles so saying they were only on top because of their money doesn't make sense. Even later in 2019 when they almost spent half a billion that year that was only about 4% more than Ferrari was spending and 8% more than what RedBull was spending.

[@Jackbyrne77]

How you assess Toto’s success in relation to the Mercedes team is whether it was his idea to plow money into the 2014 engine regs. You didn’t get success in that era purely from spending money. Toyota is the example of that. You need the right people. However, it’s reported that Mercedes spent billions on the 2014 engine regulations when the formula was confirmed. Mercedes had invested so much in the regulations that when Honda entered in 2015 with their engine, they knew it wouldn’t be as good because they had built every possible layout of the V6 hybrid in testing. If Toto championed that investment then hats off, if he simply just saw what was coming (like Lauda did) then he’s just the right place at the right time. Lauda talks about getting Hamilton but all Lauda had to do was tell Lewis what Mercedes were doing behind the scenes and get Lewis to see it. The rest would’ve sold itself. Lauda was with Ferrari in the early 90’s and Jaguar in ‘02 and they were a complete disaster. Lauda was just an investor and a figure head for the brand. What I would be interested in is how Toto got his money in the first place. How did he get this “finance” for companies?? That’s the key.

[@eilois]

the terms spends much more also mean, in current regulations, that Red Bull underpaid more. Which do you think is better?

[@yuyaoche4735]

glad to see Toto remember the full name of his team for the first time on media lol

[@Cryotyde]

To me it looked like two takes spliced together because he fudged it the first time 😂

[@emmanuelmwansa3890]

More weight to obsession in what you do 🔥🔥🔥💯

[@lombechewemukulu3767]

Nga Wa fuma kwisa iwe? 🇿🇲

[@MuhammadNiz007]

Last win under his leadership. His leadership brought Lewis. He is the reason for Mercedes success. Truly a legend not only in motorsports but in business

[@Jackbyrne77]

No he’s not. That’s like saying Christian Horner is the reason for Red Bull’s success since 2009. To be fair to them though, they would both tell you that. for Toto it was the engineers that worked on the 2014 V6 Hybrid engine, and for Horner it was the hiring of Adrian Newey. They’re both obviously great team managers (certainly a lot better than Zak Brown) and they’ve made good hiring decisions, but the success of the team is reliant on a lot of other people.

[@MuhammadNiz007]

@@Jackbyrne77 Convincing a board to invest isn't something any normal person. You need a well proven investor to do so. The fact that he was given the opportunity to buy the shares and assess the team to make it a championship material. James Allison statically the greatest teachical guy in F1 was brought to Mercedes by Toto because he knew that 2017 is going to be the aero regulation is important and James had just lost his wife. So somehow he convinced James to stay in F1 and join Mercedes. Pady low was let go by Mercedes at the right now when there wasn't real leadership in HPP. Everyone who is the money can buy a team but won't be successful but when you are the guy that made Williams somewhat competitive to 4-5th best in 2012. Someone who had incredible success with his AMG DTS program

[@MuhammadNiz007]

@@Jackbyrne77 and fun fact Horner didn't sign Adrian. It was actually Niki lauda

[@Jackbyrne77]

@@MuhammadNiz007 Respectfully, that’s definitely not right. Horner has described to camera on a number of occasions of his conversations with Dietrich Mateschitz about hiring Newey and estimating what his fee would be, only to then discover when talking to Newey that his fee was double. Jaguar tried to get Newey, but that was under the leadership of Bobby Rahal and it fell through thanks to Ron Dennis convincing Newey to change his mind.

[@mikaelbihl-matias9462]

@@MuhammadNiz007 Niki Lauda is actually the one who brought Hamilton to Mercedes

[@HexlGaming]

What a beautiful come up story. It's very inspiring seeing how in the end passion and business can work along side each other further underlining that what you do for money/work doesnt necessarily have to end up being something you don't love

[@SusannaJ]

I enjoy seeing vids on Toto. Love see ing him and Susie.

[@KL50450]

Toto can thank Ross Brawn and Nicky Louda for all the good work they did. He inherited a well oiled team that with a nearly 2 year head start in the hybrid engine preparation, was going to dominate f1 for years I’m sure he saw that coming. And then all wining…once they’re weren’t winning. Please.

[@Redlingstein]

Exactly

[@Ibetyouhavepronouns]

*How Toyota and Ross Brawn turned Mercedes F1 into a dynasty Toto did nothing but inherited a sleeping monster lmfao

[@bbrrrrr6553]

Toto & the pumpernickel bread is just legendary now

[@absolutedward]

Inspiring Toto, thanks 🙏🏽 (Good commentary too btw, thx)

[@shadxwslash44]

Lewis Hamilton is my hero, but my Father and Toto are my idols.

[@M4NA5]

Aging like milk as we speak.

[@Morcap]

Gotta love how he poses with the last great Mercedes F1 car (2021); as he is probably sick of the 2022/23 cars :))

[@ambarishj3314]

the foundation for this success is Niki Lauda.

[@Huy0617]

He is so handsome to look at and listen to as well 😍😍

[@project182r3]

Brawn and Schumacher built this team for success, not Toto. Toto bought into the team when all the hard work was already done and then mismanaged it into decline.

[@Redlingstein]

Exactly

[@suppien]

The perfect guy to play the villain in the new upcoming James Bond movies.

[@Jackbyrne77]

Forget the Mercedes stuff, that’s all well documented and relies on the work of many other very talented people, what’s key surely is how did he get the financing for those companies in the early days if he had no money himself? How did he do that because you hear people talk about this, and like this video, it’s always very general and blasé. How did he do that?

[@Redlingstein]

He has been an investor since forever… he has been rich forever. Google…

[@elvenblood]

Absolute legend.

[@mykeviper]

never knew he is a billionaire

[@juandiegoarenas6284]

it's very recent

[@weho_brian]

dat f1 muney

[@Redlingstein]

He is an investor… that’s his business

[@SilverScarletSpider]

4:37 greedy billionaires

[@michaell1274]

Pumpernickel!

[@gabrielabatres]

Very inspiring and insightful story!

[@shankarbalakrishnan2360]

Any epiphany let me know im waiting too❤❤🎉🎉

[@5l2f]

Toto Wolff and Arnold Schwazenegger kinda sound the same.

[@gungeetsingh5694]

I was thinking the same thing

[@marjoriegillespie3219]

They’re both from Austria

[@5l2f]

@@marjoriegillespie3219 that makes sense

[@emmanuelharbor2350]

Inspiring individual.

[@chrstn999]

i wanna be like toto wolff

[@jasperherr8694]

Money grows money

[@jfrost1]

Thank you nice vid

[@kogagreg]

Good video. Been training my whole life and there’s nothing to disagree with here. The only thing I don’t understand is why you would say, “…Conor McGregor and even Mike Tyson” as though Tyson isn’t a masterful KO artist.

[@scsutton1]

Toto was sitting on the front left tyre of Lewis Hamilton's car in those candid shots at the start. I happen to know that car is the exact same model that Lewis drove to victory at the 2020 British Grand Prix, with that same front left part of the car on a deflated tyre.

[@mphomakola8392]

Well done Trevor, well done....👏👏👏

[@KTLam]

It was Ross Brawn, Nikki Lauda and Micheal Schumacher. Arnold never built this team. He is a clever businessman stepping onto this boat on the right time, coming from Williams GP. After all those years still not having his mental stability under control...

[@Redlingstein]

Exactly

[@jamesh1208]

5:10 Point.

[@luisflicks4974]

Lets go Toto ❤

[@dietpepsivanilla3095]

He didn't build it into a dynasty. Niki Lauda was the one responsible. Now that he's gone, what has Toto done? One win in two years (as of this writing).

[@adrianwilson725]

Toto is like the Gru of Moto sports

[@MetalMilitia072583]

Leave it to Toto to secure a 1, 2, 3, 4 lol

[@matthalfremmbertohydrate1672]

Im sorry in advance for this, but the background music is throwing me off both Wolffs ethos and you guys' integrity. Please look elsewhere for content creators, journalists, producers... whatever. Just hire other people to do this. Wolff is amazing, your guys are a power house. Pay attention to whom you are relaying this to. Please. That's it. Im done now. Have a nice day.

[@amgm1996]

Its not like forbes is saving the world but i get your point, the music was too loud annd anmoying.

[@craftbrewer4032]

the winning came from Ross Brawn, but now that the era of Ross's is over Toto is a failure

[@Ethan-cy8oh]

“Had me in the second third not gonna lie”

[@mahirhaque1801]

He is giving me major schwarzenegger vibes

[@lavonnealexander6936]

He is hotter and better than him

[@uterfx]

Same nationality so yea

[@mikaelbihl-matias9462]

Ross Brawn and Niki Lauda built the foundations of the Mercedes F1 team success not Toto. (We can also add Schumacher)

[@Bonk-tx3ki]

no thats wrong a team is no onemanshow

[@anthonyxuereb792]

"I'd rather give up a championship" I wonder (with due respect).

[@vincefree]

Pumpernickel!!!

[@baronvandedem3997]

Toto builded nothing, he just inherited a team Brawn build. We saw at the last rule change he had all of his key technical people in the wrong places. He isn't able to set up a framework for his technical people to thrive.

[@Redlingstein]

Exactly!

[@charleskavoukjian3441]

Im sorry what? I had no idea he was a billionaire 😂

[@asmasayyad6175]

Totally agree! A commanding, magnetic and a charismatic personality!

[@JochebedKyeremeh]

Toto❤❤❤

[@AlfinoFr]

Never underestimate Goatifi, stroll, or even lord Mahaveer. because every successful team principal was once a shitty racing driver....

[@NotKimiRaikkonen]

It's always that way with coaches. Look at Freddie Roach, goes from journeyman boxer to coaching champions.

[@abubakryasin5082]

Normally you get spotlight your world starts going dark.....stay quiet....

[@maph2759]

Ok all good but can you ask him how he keeps his hairline

[@dannywheelz]

Totominator

[@TrungLeNOLA]

No Mikey No!

[@swim4757]

He never built the team he inherited it. Get your facts straight people.

[@noiztrauma]

When you look up "Alpha Male" in the dictionary a picture of Toto appears.

[@kbst8411]

Teamchef WOLFF ÖVP

[@misterjibril6528]

The downward inflection of the american accent is pretty feercin annoying

[@spiritakarabbit369]

No luck...he has focused intentions and actions. He flows and allows others to do the same hence why his team grows with him Namaste dude.

[@Redlingstein]

😂😂 not so much since 2021

[@LittleBigMediaCo]

All BS, smoke and mirrors. Toto got where he is on the leadership expertise and work of others. That team & car which dominated under the previous regulations ALL originated from the expertise of Ross Brawn. Toto was handed the baton with such a lead there was almost nothing left to do, & still Red Bull caught and passed Mercedes in the final year of those regulations. The recent Mercedes are the first designed for the new regulations under Toto's leadership, & that's been a massive failure. They are now on their 4th huge design philosophy change in just 3 years, and ver.4 seems as bad as ver.1 Also, let's not forget all the scandals Mercedes have been at the centre of over the last decade. The only thing that kept Toto in his position through those disasters is his personal friendship with Ola in his various positions at the top of Mercedes Benz management and on the Board.

[@Raditram]

Damn didn't know Riyadh Mahrez has an American accent 💀

[@Pirustae]

Highly successful and rich. All now he has to do is grow a beard.

[@HaiLeQuang]

Dynasty? You mean the 3rd team last season?

[@mariammustafaaa]

Love

[@tazz347]

horner punching air

[@Redlingstein]

Living rentree in your head….

[@emmanuelmwansa3890]

🔥🔥🔥❤❤❤

[@jamesrobert5782]

Toto didn’t build Mercedes F1

[@nirgends882]

no but he was a major factor in making the team successful

[@mikaelbihl-matias9462]

​@@nirgends882 absolute bs most of the work has been made by Brawn, Lauda and Schumacher

[@Mohagnito94]

​@Mikael Bihl-Matias cry some more. You are the same people who say he's also not responsible for Williams last F1 win in 2012.

[@mikaelbihl-matias9462]

@@Mohagnito94 seeing how Mercedes has been performing since the 2022 Season I'm not the one crying right now.

[@ibrahimkalmati9379]

​@@mikaelbihl-matias9462 why just 2022? Look 8 years before that. Yes he has a great team (so is every other great team principal) But the way he managed the team played key factor in their success.

[@JosianeBraz-ke6lq]

Wi-fi Benz Fórmula Josiane Braz Garota Apple Empreendedorismo Martenkig Digital Mercedes Benz e Ferrari Fórmula ❤❤

[@suzettephinn7829]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@missysassypants8133]

♥️

[@SCORPIONKINGOFSKY1988ENGLISH]

Car 🚗 is made only for Transportation and not for Racing Many people are dead brutally by brutal car accidents.

[@timvansurksum]

hes nothing compared to horner who actually build his team from as much as the ground up as you can get

[@asada7484]

With unlimited funding from Red Bull, while Toto put his own money on the line.

[@timvansurksum]

@asadasif8477 maybe then but for the most part mercedes has outspend redbull especialy on engines so still its not the same even if we forget that horner literually willed the team into existence and if not bad almost gotten a team of his own into f2 and f1

[@nurulasyikinshuhaimi435]

Did he really spend his own money to build up the team? A lot of the team money come from sponsors, like Petronas to build up the facility . Im Malaysian, and I don’t think petronas should spend that much, but oh well .

[@vitreo1363]

@@timvansurksum Red Bull has been spending more than every other team, ever since they run TWO of them at a time. Not Ferrari, nor Mercedes, have ever, nor will, spend more than RB on F1.

[@timvansurksum]

@vitreo1363 yes but your nit allowed to share information so that's not really fair plus mercedes has spent about 500 million yearly just on its engine so that's not even true

[@tatia_.]

🫶🏻🫶🏻

[@jagadeeshreddyy]

The Boss Man Toto he is the best example for a BOSS. And what is this background music Forbes?? You are in 70s or what?? Very annoying. Create content which is on point like all the bosses who you are interviewing.

[@chyira8077]

TOTO sucks the guy is slow at making the changes needed to be successful in F1! Mercedes bought Brawn and was successful with the Brawn team, car designed technologies. Toto has added nothing to continue the teams success.

[@caskraker]

Biggest hypocrite in F1. Closely followed by his #44 driver.

[@BYTES305]

Toto nailed it great man amazing bussines mind 🙏🏻

[@nittojoe136]

Simple. Start with plenty of money, do some insider trading, make lots of money