Toto Wolff: “F1 cannot become free”

Toto wolff is enthusiastic about seeing the F1 enter a new chapter with the takeover by the American media group Liberty Media, which wishes to update the discipline with several projects.

“The end of the Ecclestone era is pretty big news, commented the executive president of Mercedes Motorsport in an interview published by the German manufacturer. I am both curious and optimistic about what the future holds. What is certain is that things are moving quickly and that yesterday's news no longer interests anyone. We must welcome this future without being too nostalgic. »

If the Austrian businessman expressed his confidence in the abilities of the new leaders, he nevertheless hopes that the changes will be carried out without haste.

“We should not talk bad about our sport because it is not dead, indicated Toto Wolff. There are ways to optimize it and areas that haven't been explored much yet like social media and the digital environment, but we need to understand them first. »

One of the points raised by Sean Bratches, the new director of commercial operations at Liberty Media, concerns precisely the development of the discipline in the digital environment.

“Social media is a very important marketing tool for growing audiences, both for current and future fans, recognized the boss of the Mercedes team. But we have loyal partners with the TV channels who have been broadcasting our discipline for a long time and who have contributed to the teams' income. F1 cannot become free on digital platforms. »

Toto Wolff also had a thought for Bernie Ecclestone who led F1 for several decades until his replacement by Chase Carey as the new general manager.

“It’s incredible to have remained at the head of a discipline for 40 years. He saw the potential that F1 had to become what it is today. He had this vision and built an empire. He has an incredible ability to do business. From a personal point of view, I wouldn't have been in F1 without Bernie. He supported me when I was at Williams and, although we had our ups and downs with Mercedes, he always remained very friendly”, underlined the director of Mercedes Motorsport.