Ralf Schumacher claims that Mercedes engineers left because Toto Wolff ‘rejected’ key proposal

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Formula 1’s rapid expansion over the last few years means that there are now many more employees than there have ever been in the sports’ history.

The competition for talent is stiff, and that’s why we hear of engineers moving between teams quite often, by those headhunted and poached for a position within a rival team.

Others have caught on to this trend and attempted to use it as leverage in contract negotiations as a way of demanding a better offer from their team.

Some engineers are even going beyond asking for more money, and instead asking for shares in their team – which could be seen as a wiser investment given the growth of Formula 1.

Toto Wolff refuses to give employees shares

Talking to Formel1.de on YouTube, Ralf Schumacher has revealed that Toto Wolff has already lost ‘one or two’ engineers after he refused to give them shares in the Mercedes team.

He himself owns a large portion of the team, and clearly feels comfortable losing their talents and in their capability to replace them as they attempt to return to winning form.

READ MORE: Red Bull told why the Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be like ‘poison’ for the RB20

“If you see what increase in value Red Bull had through the work he [Newey] did, then I can understand it [asking for shares],” said Schumacher. “The technician says ok, I’d probably rather earn a little less, which is quite good in the budget cap.

“But I get shares and then have the motivation that I can earn my money at the end of the day if I buy my shares at some point, so the system can make money.

“So many engineers are now demanding this, especially in senior positions. Toto Wolff rejected it, which is why one or two of Mercedes’ [engineers] left at the same time.”

Can Mercedes return to championship winning form?

You wouldn’t say that losing talent is the quickest way to return to winning form, but Mercedes’ current path suggests that they’re still headed in the right direction.

They lost Andy Cowell to Aston Martin as their new CEO – the man behind their dominant power units in the mid 2010’s.

READ MORE: How Christian Horner reacted when asked about Adrian Newey’s move to Aston Martin

But, for the first time since 2021, both of their drivers have won a race and they appear to be in the fight for podiums at every race.

All they need to do is carry that sort of form into 2025 and they might have an outside chance of claiming their first championship in four years – after all, they are faster than Red Bull now.

It won’t be easy for Andrea Kimi Antonelli and he will need some time to get used to his surroundings, but Mercedes could yet return to the imperious form they delivered a decade ago.