[ad_1]
Toto Wolff is one of F1’s most powerful figures having directed Mercedes to seven Drivers’ Championships and eight Constructors’ crowns since 2014. The Silver Arrows chief is valued at a staggering £440million, higher even than Lewis Hamilton’s estimated £300m net worth.
Express Sport takes a look at Wolff’s past and life away from the track.
Early life
Wolff was born in Vienna but by his own admission he didn’t have the best childhood. Wolff’s father died of brain cancer when he was a teenager while he scraped through school by the “tiniest of margins”.
He said: “It was a tough upbringing; my father was very ill when he was young, and he died when I was a young teenager. There wasn’t a lot of financial means and if you grow up in a city where you can see that in front of you, but you haven’t got it yourself, it is difficult.”
He was first introduced to racing by a friend who competed in German Formula 3 before embarking on his career behind the wheel.
Racing career
Before embarking on business roles in F1, Wolff was a successful sportscar driver. He started out in Austrian and German Formula Ford before making the leap into sportscars a year later.
He secured a category win at the 1994 24 Hours of Nurburgring and picked up victory at the 2006 Dubai 24 Hours. Wolff was involved in a massive accident at the Nurburgring Nordschleife in April 2009 as he attempted to break the lap record in a Porsche 911 RSR.
He smashed into the wall at top speed with an impact of 27G and collapsed moments after extracting himself out of the car. He said: “I had quite some injuries. I had a concusssion that made my eye look to the left. I ripped some nerves, couldn’t smell or taste for half a year.”
House
Like Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, Wolff lives in Monaco after admitting he decided to leave the UK. One of the reasons behind the move was down to Wolff’s wish to educate his son in an international school.
However, he also cited “security issues” as a part of the decision. He told The Times: “We moved to Monaco because we had a security issue in the UK and also because we wanted to educate our son in an international school.
“I live in Oxford during the week and travel back at weekends. I like being in Oxford and I like working. I tend to stay in the office until 8pm, then go to the gym in the evening, have dinner, read a book and go to bed.”
Wife
Wolff is married to former Williams F1 test driver Susie Wolff, who has her own career in motorsport. Wolff became the first female to take part in an F1 race weekend in 22 years when she got behind the wheel at the 2014 British Grand Prix.
The couple have one son together, Jack, who is often spotted in the paddock on race weekends. The Mercedes boss admitted he and Susie’s first date was at the Hockenheim Circuit in Germany.
He said: “Yeah, that was actually the first date, it wasn’t romantic at all. Because we stayed in a little hotel there, it is not the fanciest hotels, it is a three-star hotel.” Wolff also has two children from his marriage with his first wife Stephanie.
Cars
Toto Wolff has a stunning collection of road cars in his collection including models from F1 rivals Ferrari. He recently sold off his gorgeous 1990 Ferrari F40 valued at an eye-watering £1.2million ($1.5m).
The model is ultra-rare with just over 1,300 ever made by the Prancing Horse in Maranello. The Austrian has also been spotted driving his classic Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing model priced at £1.1m ($1.4m).
[ad_2]
Source link
