Toto Wolff once named one Nico Rosberg F1 victory as his favourite moment as Mercedes boss

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Toto Wolff is leading Mercedes into their fourth major technical change with him at the helm in 2026.

Nobody quite knows what to expect from the 2026 F1 regulations, but there is a guarantee that the running order will change.

Mercedes have opted to retain their two drivers, and will enter their second consecutive campaign with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in the car.

For now, team boss Toto Wolff is convinced of the direction they are taking, and harbours hope that they can get back to victory form over the next 12 months. It has been a good four years since they were last contenders already.

Wolff gave Russell a ‘very generous’ pay rise to stay with the Silver Arrows for 2026, shortly after giving up in his pursuit of Max Verstappen.

But Wolff has warned Russell not to expect number one status in the event that they find themselves in a championship fight next season. His main aim is to win with either driver.

READ MORE: When Toto Wolff could now leave Mercedes after selling a £230m stake in the F1 team

Toto Wolff once called the 2014 Austrian Grand Prix his favourite moment as Mercedes boss

Although they shared some great times together, Wolff thinks Lewis Hamilton left Mercedes at the right time.

They won six consecutive title doubles together (Nico Rosberg pinched the 2016 drivers’ crown), and became one of the most notable dynasties of all time.

Of all the championships achieved together, Wolff’s favourite Formula 1 memory doesn’t actually stem from any one particular season.

In fact, it traces back to one race, which led him back to where everything started in 2014. Personally, it carried great significance for him.

“That was a moment where I had just come from Williams, and I was still a shareholder [with them], and we did 1-2-3-4,” Wolff told the Beyond the Grid Podcast.

“I took my car back to Vienna, it was the route I did when I was an instructor in Spielberg, literally with no money to pay for the fuel. 2014, god knows how many years later, I find myself in this position. I need to pinch myself about it, still, every day.”

READ MORE: Toto Wolff tells Christian Horner his ‘entitlement’ cost him his Red Bull job

Why was the 2014 Austrian Grand Prix so special for Toto Wolff?

As Wolff explained, back in 2014, he was still tied to Williams as a shareholder. That means he had an interest in two teams on the grid.

He also supplied Williams with Mercedes engines, which was a significant boost for their performance, too.

In Austria, Williams actually locked out the front row in Qualifying, before struggling to keep up with the might of the manufacturer in Sunday’s race.

In the end, Wolff’s cars would cross the line in first and second, with Rosberg ahead of Hamilton, but the Williams cars just behind them in third and fourth.

It was a landmark moment for a man who once had almost nothing to his name at the very same Spielberg venue, but hadn’t given up and managed to turn things around just decades later.