Toto Wolff has been a great influence on Mercedes’ success and their dominant run over the years. The team has won 8 constructors’ championships ever since he has been at the helm. But it came as a surprise when he revealed the similarities he shares with George Russell in terms of the factor that keeps them both grounded.

Toto Wolff joined Mercedes as the team principal in 2013. Since then, Mercedes have won 8 constructors’ championships and 7 drivers’ championships. This year, the Silver Arrows’ nemesis Red Bull will, in all likelihood, win the constructors’ championship and halt their dominant run.

Toto Wolff reveals his George Russell connection

Keeping his team on top for 8 years, there must be something that Toto has been doing right. Therefore, it does not come as a surprise when the Austrian gets invited to business schools and many other places to reveal his style of management. In one such interview at the Harvard Business School, Toto talked about what kept him grounded every time he thought he was getting ahead of himself.

During this, he revealed how Mercedes driver George Russell’s rapport with his girlfriend, Carmen is like his and Susie’s.

Toto said, “George Russell has a really strong girlfriend, Carmen. Always when George loses ground, she says “are you a big superstar now or what?” I have the same kind of feedback at home.”

Read More: Toto Wolff Expresses Admiration for Lewis Hamilton’s Classy Gestures After ‘Lion’ Outbursts: “He Has a Big Heart”

Toto started out as a motor racing driver himself, only to realize that his talents lie elsewhere. He later started his own investment company and through that came back into the motor sporting world with Williams. To this day Wolff maintains he cannot believe to have a job that caters to both his passions, motor racing, and finance.

How Toto Wolff’s journey in Formula 1 started

While Toto’s journey in Formula 1 started with an investment in the Williams F1 team, it wasn’t his first sporting venture. Toto earlier had a joint venture with AMG where they ran touring cars that raced in DTM.

In a Channel 4 interview with David Coulthard, Toto revealed how he started out in F1. “I had a joint venture in a management structure with Mercedes before we supported young drivers. Then it kind of grew and 3 years into my investment career in Williams, the CEO quit and I asked Frank [Williams], “what do you think about running this together?”

Watch This Story: WATCH: George Russell’s Lonely Moment on Baku Podium Amid Glorious Red Bull Celebration

The rest, as they say, is history. With him in the leading role at Mercedes, a comeback can never be too far.