Susie Wolff has praised her husband Toto's management style, saying that she has learned some lessons from him that she applies to her own role as the team boss of the Venturi Formula E outfit. Wolff, a former racer and Williams F1 development driver prior to her retirement in 2015, has been involved with the Venturi team since 2018 and explained that she has been able to draw on some of her husband's strengths after observing him lead Mercedes to multiple F1 championships. "I have a different management style to Toto, because I'm a different character to Toto," Wolff told the Beyond the Grid podcast. "I don't try to copy what he does. But I am definitely inspired from how he runs the organisation. He's very authentic. He's very, very good in his communication. He's got a lot of empathy for the people he works with. "He surrounds himself with very talented people. He's not scared to be challenged, and he wants bright people around that do challenge him. "I think that's something which I definitely [have] learned from having watched him over so many years. I'm just inspired watching what he does. I learn something every day and I never stopped learning, and I hope I never stop learning."
Susie Wolff doesn't foresee an F1 future
With Wolff finding her feet and becoming a successful team boss in her own right, the topic of whether she'd consider making a switch to F1 arose. Quickly ruling out any possibility of working in a team alongside her husband, Wolff added that a move to another F1 squad is also not particularly likely given her allegiances. "I think being Toto's wife obviously means that I'm very aligned to the Mercedes team," she explained. "I wouldn't work for Toto, but I also wouldn't want to work for a competitor. "My heart is with the Mercedes Formula 1 team, and I think there'd obviously be reservations within individuals in the paddock if I rocked up in some kind of other function, so I don't see my future being in F1."
"Toto has an incredible ability to soak up pressure"
Wolff went on to explain how she is able to offer Toto insight into situations involving the drivers, which she admitted can sometimes lead to "heated discussions", but said that she knows when to tread more carefully. "Absolutely. I know when to pick my battles!" she laughed, when asked about when things might not have gone well for Mercedes on track. "I think also, because I've been in the sport so long, I know the challenges he's facing. I can be very understanding if he's got to stay at the office late or head off to a meeting and we don't see each other for a long time. "I know what it feels like when you're under that amount of pressure. Toto sometimes has an incredible ability to just soak up pressure. "I get nervous listening sometimes, but he just keeps soaking up the pressure, keeps soaking up the pressure and shields the team sometimes from the amount of pressure that's coming in their direction. "But I think we make a good team, for sure we make a good team. He is hugely supportive of me and what my ambitions are."
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