Exclusive: Toto Wolff addresses son's racing career as F1 world rapidly evolves

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has addressed the challenges his son, Jack Wolff, is currently facing in his racing career, while also opening up about the rapidly evolving world of Formula 1 scouting.

Aged nine, Jack is proving to be an excellent young racing driver, currently leading the IAME karting championship and having won a race this year.

Both Wolff and his wife, Susie Wolff, are often in attendance at the races, watching their son develop and secure victories in front of their eyes.

Of course, for any young karter, the ultimate goal is F1, something Wolff has substantial experience in and can guide his son towards.

The world of young drivers, and how young stars are viewed, is rapidly changing, though, with the likes of Mercedes, Red Bull and Cadillac all having drivers within their academies between the ages of 10 and 12.

At Mercedes, Gwen Lagrue had been in charge of spotting and developing young talent, although he has recently moved to Red Bull.

Discussing his son and joking if he is concerned whether Lagrue will sign him to Red Bull, Wolff told RacingNews365 during an exclusive interview: "I think it's much too early; he's nine years old. You know, some of the Formula 1 teams are scouting now... We've taken Nicolo Perrico on board, who is 11, because he's won multiple championships. 

"You can see that Red Bull has drivers who are 11, 12 years old. Cadillac has a driver who is 10. So, is this the future? I think now, with Nicolo, we have an 11-year-old. "

Jack's racing challenges

For Wolff's son, there are additional challenges to overcome compared to most karting drivers, one of which is being the son of the Mercedes F1 team principal.

As outlined by Wolff himself, everyone wants to beat Jack or take him out, with the aim being for his son to reach a point where his results and talent can be judged on merit, rather than being viewed as a result of his father's position.

"For Jack, he has advantages and disadvantages," added Wolff. "The advantage is that his parents know motor racing and we are well connected. The disadvantage is that he has a target on his back. 

"Everybody wants to go quicker than Jack, and everybody wants to crash him off because he's also the youngest. Now, that's making him harder. He needs to be a better driver than everybody else. Only then can he justify that everything he does is on merit. But he's nine now. 

"He doesn't understand that yet. He just thinks that he needs to fight stronger than the other ones, and he said to me in one race there was a team, another team that had six drivers, and he was alone in his team. 

"He said, 'Papi, I can pick three, but it's difficult to beat six when they're working together.' So, yeah, he has a harder upbringing. When the lights go green, then it's more difficult for him, but obviously we can create an environment for him that some other parents can't because they don't understand, because they can't afford it, or because they can't get themselves organised."