Toto Wolff in motorsport: financial and sporting success story

Probably not everyone knows that Toto Wolff was a deserving driver himself. Not the absolute best, but good enough to win the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in his class. Yet that was not where his future lay. Early on, Wolff was a successful businessman, focusing mainly on investing in medium-sized and listed companies. One of the companies Wolff invested in in 2006 was HWA, which was active for Mercedes-Benz in the DTM, produced engines for Formula 3 as well as making a GT3 sports car for Mercedes.

Williams as a stepping stone to Mercedes

The first link to an important job - and in this case Mercedes - had been made in this way. Yet it was not Mercedes, but Williams where Wolff joined Formula 1 for the first time. At the then still family-run team, the Austrian bought in, before taking a seat on the Williams board of directors. Moreover, Wolff started working as executive director, a position he left just a year later.

Indeed, Wolff was offered the chance to take up the same job at the ambitious Mercedes F1 team. Moreover, the Austrian - together with his business partner - took a 30 per cent stake in Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd. He eventually succeeded the legendary Norbert Haug as the person ultimately responsible for all of Mercedes' motorsport activities.

Attracting Hamilton proved to be masterstroke

In that position, Wolff managed to attract the right people who ensured that Mercedes could grow. One of them was Lewis Hamilton. Wolff managed to convince the Briton to leave McLaren and join the adventure at Mercedes. Hamilton gasped, to the incomprehension of a lot of fans at the time. After all, Mercedes was a mid-tier team, while Hamilton had already become champion with McLaren.

Hamilton will never have regretted letting himself be persuaded by Wolff. Together, Mercedes managed to grow into one of the most successful teams ever in Formula 1. Since the start of the hybrid era in 2014, Mercedes has won 112 races under Wolff's leadership. The team has grabbed 120 pole positions, completely filled the front row 74 times and stood on the podium 257 times. These are figures to be giddy about.

Wolff has earned well

So Wolff is not done with Formula 1 yet. After two difficult seasons, the Austrian wants revenge. Three more years will give him time to expand his already impressive record. And if it doesn't work out? Then Wolff at least has a nice sum in his bank account. With an estimated capital of 1.6 billion euros - brought together by all his business interests - there is plenty to retire on later.