Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff advocated the importance of seeking help when weighed down by mental obstacles.
Wolff was in conversation at the Baker Library at Harvard Business School in Cambridge with Professor Anita Elberse and her class when the subject came up. The Austrian said:
“I’ve been going to a psychiatrist since 2004, I think I’ve had more than 500 hours [of therapy]. I have suffered mentally, I still do. Getting help is a way of overcoming my problems, and it has helped me to access untapped potential. I’ve never had any problem with the stigma. Some of the most successful people are very, very sensitive and very, very sensitive means very, very vulnerable.”
The 50-year-old has overseen Mercedes' unprecedented dominance in F1 over the better part of the last decade. He then opened up about his struggles with depression, saying:
“Without going into too much detail, feeling depressed, feeling inadequate. Everything depends upon how you perceive yourself. High-profile people who seem to have everything but are struggling, I think we have an obligation to say we’re getting help and it’s ok to get help. Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka deserve a lot of credit for how they’ve spoken about this.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes winter tests can be deceiving ahead of 2022 F1 season
Toto Wolff accepts that Ferrari has the strongest power unit but also reminded the media that pre-season tests can easily be very deceptive.
Speaking to reporters before the second round of testing in Bahrain, Wolff said:
“We feel that Ferrari have the strongest power unit at the moment. You have to see it in perspective, only one of the tests has been completed. Ferrari should not be praised too quickly. Winter tests can be deceptive.”
The Scuderia has been the talk of the F1 grid with their out-of-the-box design for the F1-75 that will be driven by Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in 2022.
Wolff and the Silver Arrows will have their sights trained on the first Grand Prix of the year set to take place on Sunday, March 20.