Toto Wolff Opens Up About Mental Health Struggles

Thursday, 08 August 2024 at 12:00

Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, revealed he struggled with mental health and how he continues to deal with it.

Toto Wolff is perhaps one of the most successful team principals in Formula One history. With Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton, he has achieved incredible success.

Since joining the German team in 2013, he has won eight consecutive Constrictors' titles and seven consecutive Drivers' titles with them.

Despite the immense success that he had, the 52-year-old opened up in a recent interview with Sky Sports about having mental struggles. He said:

“"I have struggled so badly with these things, for months not being able to have a clear thought but I came to the realisation that it comes with a lot of advantages."”

“"I call it a superpower. This is what I want to give people that have mental health issues as a hope."”

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“"I was thinking when I was really bad at times, 'That person hasn't got what I have,' and that's why that person can be more successful."”

Mercedes's team principal tried to explain how he could turn what many perceive as very negative into something positive.

“"What I want to say is with that superpower, when you struggle, you are a sensitive person, and that can be negative or very positive."”

“"Some of the strengths come from reading the room, understanding a person and seeing through a person, calling bull***t when it needs to be called."”

F1 creates a competitive, exhausting, high-stress environment, and Wolff isn't the only one who has struggled with mental health.

Another person who recently opened up about mental struggles was the seven-time World Champion himself- right after he broke the negative streak when he won the British Grand Prix.

If the two of the most successful people in the F1 world experience mental struggles, it is safe to say there are many more who just aren't so open about it. What is important is how they deal with it, and Wolff revealed he also tends to visit a psychologist:

“"I always seek help. I always asked questions from a very early age. Some of the days were so bad that I found my way to a psychologist."”

“"There's not a single treatment in a way that I tried from speaking to psychologists, cognitive behavioural therapy because I like to just optimise on how can I solve the problem quickly. I have done probably more than 300 or 350 hours of talking."”