"Have you realized I've not been smashing my headphones anymore" - When Mercedes boss jumped on 'very mindful' social media trend

Mercedes F1 posted a hilarious clip earlier this year of team principal Toto Wolff as the latter jumped on the social media trend of "very demure, very mindful." The Austrian has been the team leader of the German team since 2014 and is one of the most influential people in the F1 paddock.

He has led the Brackley-based outfit to eight constructors' and seven driver's championships from 2014 to 2021 and is widely regarded as one of the best team principals in the sport's history. Given his stature and influence at the pinnacle of motorsport, Wolff has often been seen getting passionate about certain incidents in the past and has not shied away from showing his emotions.

Mercedes F1, on Instagram in August, posted a clip of Toto Wolff claiming that he had not smashed his headphones in a while and that it was 'very demure and mindful' of him. He said,

"Have you realized that I've not been smashing my headphones? Very demure. Very mindful."

The 52-year-old famously reacted to the controversial ending of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP by smashing his headphones on his table, after Lewis Hamilton was passed by Max Verstappen on the last lap.

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When Mercedes team boss said he has no regrets about Lewis Hamiton's exit

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stated that he did not have any regrets about the manner of Lewis Hamilton's departure from the team to Ferrari in 2025.T

The Austrian was asked in August this year if he had any regrets about the decision that eventually led to the seven-time champion's move away from Mercedes. Wolff said (via BBC),

“No. We decided as a team for that and we were always very transparent with Lewis, and the good thing with him is he is able to put himself in your position and understood where we were coming from. So, in that respect, there are no bad feelings, there is no betrayal. It was also for the good of him to change.

"This was the longest run between a driver and a team. It was 12 years overall. And maybe he needed to, in a way, change and reinvent himself. Being a driver for Ferrari is super-prestigious. Maybe for us as a team also it is important to emancipate ourselves and go in a different direction.”

Lewis Hamilton won six of his seven driver's championships with Mercedes and under the leadership of Wolff guided the team to eight consecutive constructor's championships.

In February 2024, it was announced that he would leave the German team for Ferrari in 2025. He decided to activate his release clause from his latest contract, which he signed in August 2023. The Brit had been with the German stable for 26 years and started his career under their helm with McLaren in 2007.