"He always said, I have no friends": Toto Wolff gets real with a tearjerking memory of F1 legend Niki Lauda

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff recalled an emotional memory of his "friendship" with former three-time F1 world champion Niki Lauda. The Austrian, who had raced in the sport in the 70s and 80s with teams like McLaren, Ferrari, and BRM, had joined the German team in his role as advisor from 2012 till his death in 2019.

The 53-year-old took over the reins of the Brackley-based outfit in 2014 after leaving Williams F1 and getting a stake in the German brand. As a partnership, they took Mercedes back to the top, winning drivers and constructors from 2014 to 2020 before Max Verstappen won the title in 2021.

On Instagram, Toto Wolff was asked to reflect on his favorite memory of his time with Niki Lauda. The Austrian spoke about the time when the legendary F1 driver called the billionaire his "half friend," saying:

"It was on a flight back from Suzuka to Vienna after having won the championship. A little bit of context to this, Niki always said, 'I have no friends'... And he says, but if there was such thing as a half friend, you would be a half friend'. I see a little bit of a tear in one eye, and I'm saying, is Niki Lauda really affectionate and emotional?

"I can't believe it, because Niki was a very rational logic person, and he said, Stop, stop, stop. We don't need to talk about it. I just wanted to say, I know you wouldn't pick up the phone and I couldn't reach you when I'm in a ditch, but you're still a half-friend. And it was just lovely because I knew that was a proper, proper compliment."

Niki Lauda continued as an advisor until his death before the 2019 Monaco GP. His legacy in the team has remained as their cars have a red star as an ode to him.

Toto Wolff reflects on the 2025 season for Mercedes

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stated that they were "excited" as a team heading into the 2025 season after finishing the 2024 campaign on a relatively competitive note, evidenced by their performance in Las Vegas and Qatar.

Speaking with Sky Sports F1, the Austrian billionaire previews the upcoming season and said:

"We are excited. It seems like such a long time that we haven't raced. Finally, [we get] to see whether we have improved the car and have the weekends like we had in Las Vegas, whether we can have more."

Toto Wolff and Mercedes hope to return to competitive racing as they have struggled to keep pace with their rivals consistently in the new ground effect cars introduced in the 2022 season. They have only recorded five wins in the last three years, with 2023 being the most successful year in team standings.