Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has warned his drivers to never put themselves above the collective Formula 1 glory of the team.
Wolff, who has been at the helm of the Brackley-based squad since 2013, led the German marque to eight consecutive Constructors’ titles between 2014 and 2021.
2025 marks the fourth season since the Silver Arrows have been dethroned from their high perch in the ground effect era of the sport, and the first since Lewis Hamilton left the team for Ferrari.
Going into the 2026 regulations reset, the Austrian seems pretty happy with his current line-up of George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
That said, Wolff has set the record straight when it comes to his expectations from the duo when they are representing the Mercedes badge on the track.
“If you are selfish and you put our joint success at risk, or you damage our brand, then I’m going to be ruthless about it. You have no part in this team,” he told Bloomberg Hot Pursuit.
“There are other people who are part of your success.
“And how I’ve been managing this from the first day that I’ve been in Formula 1 is that I make no difference between the two drivers and the rest of the company.
“I’ve been telling them that there are 2,500 superstars in this team. Whether they work in the machine shop, in the cleaning, in aerodynamics or driving the car, I’m not going to treat you any differently than any of the other people.”
Last week, after Lando Norris crashed into his team-mate Oscar Piastri on the final laps of the Canadian Grand Prix, Wolff was quick to point out how McLaren needed to establish a line in the sand as quickly as possible to avoid a bitter repeat.
The 53-year-old has already done the same within his own squad as he revealed that his drivers are aware that a lot more than just their individual racing glory is at stake everytime they go Grand Prix racing.
“That philosophy has worked because our drivers have understood that, they respect that,” he said.
“They care that everybody you know is part of the success, and they realise that when they crash into each other, people can’t pay their mortgages because they don’t earn their bonuses.”
Wolff outlines qualities he would want to see in Mercedes drivers
Mercedes’ second-coming in F1, since 2010, has seen the only two seven-time World Champions, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, drive for the team.
Wolff, whose entry as Team Principal coincided with Hamilton’s, listed down the crucial character trait that the duo shared, which allowed them to not only achieve unparalleled success on an individual level but also lifted the entire team around them.
“I believe that the best ones also have social intelligence, emotional intelligence,” explained Wolff.
“They know how to manoeuvre a paddock. They are career-driven and focused – but they are not selfish.
“Lewis Hamilton is a fantastic team player and he’s been the most successful of all time.
“Michael Schumacher was able to assemble a team around him [at Ferrari] and be hugely successful.
“So you see that with the best – talent and ambition, but also consciousness that it doesn’t all revolve around yourself.”
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