Photo: Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team on YouTube
Torgen Christian “Toto” Wolff, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team’s Principal and CEO, has talked extensively about the importance of mental health in an interview. He admits, among other things, seeing a psychiatrist for 18 years. His words are inspiring, despite what many think about his way of managing a Formula 1 team. Here’s what he said.
As fans of the great sport that is Formula 1, we couldn’t be happier to hear that mental health is taken seriously in a day and age when this matter is still treated frivolously. We’re being bombarded with all kinds of information from all around the globe as each minute passes, so the world got a lot tinier and a record time. It’s important to take time off and take care of yourself.
As Toto puts it in his Times Sport interview, “getting help is a way of overcoming (…) problems.”
“I’ve never had any problem with the stigma. Some of the most successful people are very, very sensitive and very, very sensitive means very, very vulnerable,” said Toto Wolff.
He also confirmed seeing a psychiatrist since 2004 and doing over 500 hours of therapy. He even admits that mental health problems don’t just disappear overnight, as he is still battling some of the issues that haven’t been solved yet.
It’s not the first time this subject has been brought up in F1 or by Toto. Last year he said in another interview that mental health is “tremendously important” to him and pointed out that being seen in a glamourous environment doesn’t automatically equal happiness and comfort.
McLaren’s Lando Norris has also said at the beginning of this year that he’s happy mental health is becoming a priority, and more people speak about it. He’s been open about it to his fans too.
F1 is a challenging sport that has a lot of moving parts. Teams, suppliers, sponsors, regulators, and partners need to work incredibly well together to achieve that coveted win at the end of the season without any doubts or controversies. It’s no wonder that all this pressure can at some point break a person if there’s no work done with and for your mind.
As Toto puts it in his Times Sport interview, “getting help is a way of overcoming (…) problems.”
“I’ve never had any problem with the stigma. Some of the most successful people are very, very sensitive and very, very sensitive means very, very vulnerable,” said Toto Wolff.
He also confirmed seeing a psychiatrist since 2004 and doing over 500 hours of therapy. He even admits that mental health problems don’t just disappear overnight, as he is still battling some of the issues that haven’t been solved yet.
It’s not the first time this subject has been brought up in F1 or by Toto. Last year he said in another interview that mental health is “tremendously important” to him and pointed out that being seen in a glamourous environment doesn’t automatically equal happiness and comfort.
McLaren’s Lando Norris has also said at the beginning of this year that he’s happy mental health is becoming a priority, and more people speak about it. He’s been open about it to his fans too.
F1 is a challenging sport that has a lot of moving parts. Teams, suppliers, sponsors, regulators, and partners need to work incredibly well together to achieve that coveted win at the end of the season without any doubts or controversies. It’s no wonder that all this pressure can at some point break a person if there’s no work done with and for your mind.
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