Wolff: I see Mercedes as my tribe

Wolff is not only the Team Principal of the Mercedes Formula 1 team, but he is also a co-owner, which gives the impression that his position is secure.

However, he insisted that it is far from the reality and tried to deliver a down-to-earth assessment of his role at the helm of Mercedes.

Wolff told Forbes: "I feel embarrassed talking about leadership. This notion of one leader is something that I really struggle with.

"I couldn’t be the best CFO, the best CMO, the best CEO, all in one. I see myself among that team.

"If there’s a final decision to make, then I will do that. But I rely on the collective.

"I see it a little bit as my tribe, I ought to protect them. But I also need to give clarity of the mission," he maintained.

Ever since he bought into Mercedes and replaced Ross Brawn as boss, Wolff has managed to lead the team towards eight consecutive F1 Constructors' Championships between 2014 and 2021. 

The team also bagged seven F1 Drivers' Titles in that period, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg in 2016.

"You gotta be great," Wolff pointed out. "If you go from great to good because you’re not motivated enough, or you haven’t been keeping up with the development of technology, then this is an ejection seat.

"I’m responsible for the 2000 people that work in this team, their families, their life standards, their mortgages, their dreams, their hopes," he maintained.

While Wolff has recently sold a 5% stake of his Mercedes stake, he insists he is far from taking the decision to step down.

"I have no plan to sell the team or no plan to leave my role," he told F1 media. "I'm actually in a good space, and I'm enjoying it.

"And as long as I feel I'm contributing and others feel that I'm contributing, there's no reason to think in that direction," he concluded.