Wolff refused to cooperate with Bottas: ''Not a good experience''

Toto Wolff is not only the team boss of Mercedes, but also the manager of Valtteri Bottas and others. Wolff refused to cooperate at first, but changed his mind when he was able to meet the Finn in person.

Wolff meets a talent

''I was trying to give young drivers the finances and guidance I had missed as a driver. At one point Timo Rumpfkeil, the boss of Motopark Academy, called to help me at Bottas. He said 'I have an exceptional boy who is in the front seat with few resources, you can help him'', remembers Wolff, who turned down the offer first.

''I've had bad experiences with young drivers who help you first, but if they're successful you're completely forgotten, I didn't want to have that again," said Toto, who was called again after two exceptional wins for Bottas, but this time the Finn himself was on the line.

Bottas makes an impression

"He called and asked if he could meet me. He came to my office and was looking for a manager. He didn't want me, but asked me for advice. However, he came without parents and walked in the snow with a T-shirt. He was a really competitive guy, who knew exactly what he wanted to achieve," Wolff says in a video from Mercedes.

The meeting made an impression on Wolff, who not much later was going to represent the interests of Bottas, together with Mika Hakkinen and others. Bottas made his debut in Formula 1 at Williams, where Wolff was still at the top and took over the Finn of that team when he needed a replacement for Nico Rosberg as team boss of Mercedes.