Wolff details personal Mercedes F1 struggle

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has revealed to a personal struggle - surprisingly with the word 'leader'.

Wolff has led the Brackley-based team since the start of 2013, the same year he became a co-owner of the F1 outfit. 

The Austrian guided the Silver Arrows through its superior eight-year reign of the F1 constructors' championship, and is viewed as the team's leader by those in the paddock. 

However, the 52-year-old does not feel the same, with Wolff outlining that Mercedes has several leaders in different areas. 

Wolff is not a supporter of being referred to by such a term as he does not view himself above his employees and drivers. 

Lewis Hamilton and James Allison are just two of the several individuals Wolff views as Mercedes leaders.

"I really struggle with the word 'leader' because a leader for me is that you stand above your people, not with them," Wolff said on the High Performance podcast. 

"There's so many leaders in this organisation, and everybody tries to be the best team or yourself in the role. 

"I'm trying to contribute best as a team principal; Lewis is a leader as a driver; James Allison is a leader with his engineers. So many other people are leaders in the organisation.

"Only if we do good in our position, and we share those objectives, are we going to be successful. 

"There's this metaphor that we have - we are not like a bunch of five-year-olds playing football, all running behind the ball, but we let the ball run. We stay where we are, in our centre of competence."

Wolff's self-doubt

A constant battle Wolff deals with on a daily basis is self-doubt, from the moment he wakes up in the morning. 

The Austrian is eager to always maximise his time and do things which will benefit him, rather than set him back.

An example offered by the Mercedes boss is his morning reading of the newspaper, and ensuring he reads the articles which will improve his state of mind.

"Every day there's a moment where I'm thinking, 'Am I really performing to my own expectations here?'" Wolff added. 

"It starts from the morning, have I used the morning positively? I'm reading the news in the morning for a long time. Did I read the right thing to put me in a good state of mind to perform in the morning, or did I read some trash?

"Literally, again, dissecting everything I do. Is it the right thing that I'm doing?"