Wolff on culture at Mercedes: 'If something goes wrong, it's down to me'

There are different ways to run a Formula 1 team. Toto Wolff 's way of running Mercedes' team is by using the 'no blame culture'.

Toto Wolff has been the Mercedes team boss since 2013. Under his leadership, the team has won seven drivers' championships and eight constructors' championships. Wolff's leadership style involves not blaming anyone for mistakes. He is ultimately responsible.

Toto Wolff's way of leadership

"When there's a problem, fundamentally, it's my fault. If a mechanic fails, very rarely is it a human error. Sometimes the education of the mechanic and how to deploy the tools wasn't good enough. My mistake. If the wheel gun is not up to the job, my mistake. If something is not right in the coordination, fundamentally, it's also my problem because we're putting the team together to do this to the best of their abilities, and we blame the problem and not the person," Wolff told Sky Sports.

"Because [otherwise] you create an environment where there's fear and in fear, people don't dare to speak up or don't dare to point to things that are not good, so you need to allow them to speak up." It is important for the Austrian investor to maintain unity in the team. "I have never allowed the garage to be split into two teams. So it's one team, two drivers. They share objectives in working for the team but we also acknowledge that they have their own objectives. They want to win a driver world championship, beat their teammate."

The no-blame culture is an attitude Wolff also expects from his drivers. "I think first of all, and this is the character trait of the great champions, they look at themselves first. Where did I get it wrong? Was my driving good? If the team made a mistake then there's going to be a debate on how we can do better next time. I would never blame a driver. I've always tried to put my arm around them if the driver got it wrong. And the same way, the driver, if he's one of the champions, he's able to give the team confidence and restore that for race days."