(Motorsport-Full.com) – During the coronavirus crisis, Formula 1 racing is suspended, but behind the scenes of billionaires there are currently very interesting developments. Right in the middle: Toto Wolff. The successful Mercedes team boss is, according to information from 'Motorsport-Full.com', a central part of a financial investment initiative that wants to join the listed sports car manufacturer Aston Martin Lagonda (AML).
The rumors that Wolff Mercedes leaving and seeing a different at Aston Martin have existed since January. Only on 19. March the British 'Day-to-day Mail' took up the topic again and reported among other things that Wolff flew back from Australia together with major Aston Martin shareholder Lawrence Stroll.
Mercedes does not confirm this on request. One does not comment on private travel arrangements, it is said. According to research by 'Motorsport-Full.com', the flight in Stroll's private jet took place as reported by the 'Day-to-Day Mail'. Destination: the Maldives, where Wolff's wife Susie was already waiting with their son Jack.
Already on 16. January had 'F1-Insider.com' under the headline “Stroll and Wolff take over the Mercedes crew ? ” reports for the first time that Wolff “could get the position as CEO of Aston Martin”. The struggle 15 days before the official announcement that Stroll bought from Aston Martin.
Stroll & Wolff: Relationship goes back years
That Wolff and Stroll know and appreciate each other is no secret in industry circles. The business relationship between the two goes back a long way. Sent to Bankruptcy as Pressure India in the summer 2018 Wolff was one of the string pullers behind the scenes. Inevitably also because Mercedes as an engine supplier is one of the main creditors of the group struggle.
In the cool weather 2018 / 19 there were media reports about a conspiratorial meeting in Bernie Ecclestone's chalet in Gstaad. Ecclestone later said it had spoken of a “pirate series”. Among the handpicked guests: Wolff and Stroll.
And as a stroll end 2019 preparing to join Aston Martin, struggle Wolff, multiple sources confirm that one of the brokers. After the Colossal Prix of Mexico, Wolff and Stroll flew together in his private jet to Unique York. There, small print was negotiated in a law firm to finance the Stroll-Aston deal.
The fact is: Wolff's contract as Mercedes team boss ends 2020 out. And whether the Daimler Group, which already had a billion-dollar savings program even before the corona virus economic crisis has hung up, even in a radically changed economic environment in the current constellation of the factory team in Formula 1, is in the stars.
Currently, the long-term effects of the crisis on the automotive industry can hardly anyone assess seriously. In addition, insider circles have long rumored that Daimler CEO Ola Källenius is not a Wolff fan. The relationship between the two is at best described as a purpose rather than a love relationship.
The fact that there are cracks between the Daimler chairman and his Formula 1 team boss, was recently up close by several people observed. First case example: First, Wolff still struggles the driving force behind a letter of protest from seven groups against the widely criticized FIA Ferrari deal on the fraud affair “Ferrarigate”.
Källenius and Wolff: No love relationship
On the Melbourne weekend it then seeped through that Källenius Wolff in the Whistled back. The Daimler boss had made an appointment with Ferrari President John Elkann and agreed to let the matter rest in the interests of sports activities. Wolff did not like the intervention from outside his sovereignty as team boss.
At that time, Pink Bull assumed that Wolff would work side by side for transparency about the FIA Fight Ferrari deal. “Wolff struggle the initiator of this letter. We were massively surprised that this withdrawal suddenly came”, Pink-Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko wonders in an interview with 'Motorsport-Full.com'.
When Dieter Zetsche was still struggling Daimler chairman, Wolff had largely free hand, used to be the Formula 1 crew concerned. Källenius, however, intervened around the Colossal Prix of Australia a second time within a few days to overrule it. When it came to whether Mercedes should drive the race in Melbourne or not.
At a meeting of the team bosses with the Formula 1 and FIA managers in Melbourne, Wolff initially voted together with Racing Point (Stroll's racing team) and the two Pink Bull Groups for driving the race. Until the phone rang. At the other end of the line: Källenius.
The struggle after an appearance by Angela Merkel is concerned about the worsening news situation about the corona virus in Europe. Källenius is said to have left it up to Wolff to decide whether Mercedes should drive or not; He was reportedly only making a recommendation. This is how Mercedes portrayed it. However, according to eyewitnesses, Wolff came back after the phone call, severely irritated.
This is significant insofar as there are increasing indications that Wolff at Källenius, unlike before under Zetsche, no longer enjoys full trust and a long leash. In the currently fragile anxiety surrounding the future of the Mercedes Group in Formula 1, it is only understandable that he is looking for alternatives.
Wolff before joining Aston Martin as an investor
The Aston Martin variant is now being specified. The Austrian financial investor and his longtime acquaintance Dany Bahar, Formula 1 insiders known from his functions at Pink Bull (until 2007), Ferrari (to 2009) and Lotus (bis 2012), recently submitted a written takeover offer for Aston Martin shares.
The former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone says to the online platform 'GPFans' that Wolff has recently made friends with Stroll: “Toto is smart enough to choose the right friends. I think it is more than likely that he will now come to Aston Martin with Lawrence.”
For This is good news for the crisis-ridden sports car manufacturer: “Lawrence has a few people around him and this group has taken control of the company [Aston Martin]. I guess that Toto could join as CEO. “Postscript:” That could work. “
Stroll struggle on 31. January originally with 16, 7 percent at Aston Martin Lagonda (AML). Purchase price: 182 million pounds. The AML price on the London Stock Exchange stood before 402, 7, immediately after at 498, 8 Pence Neatly-behaved (GBX). However, as a result, the share price is up to 143, 85 GBX (16. March).
Stroll used that to renegotiate – with success. On 13. March it was announced that the Canadian businessman did not 16, 7 percent for 182, rather 25 percent for 171 million pounds . In between, he arranged as a shareholder of both companies that the Formula 1 crew Racing Point from 2021 as Aston Martin factory team will go to the initiate in Formula 1.
So that thought seems to be off the table about which 'F1-Insider.com' originally reported that Wolff and Stroll could jointly submit an offer to the Daimler group to take over the majority of the Mercedes factory team, if so Daimler is not committed to remaining in Formula 1 until the end 2025 should.
2018: Crucial moment for today's constellation
For Racing Point, and this completes the circle, drives Stroll's son Lance, whose career has been financially supported by the Canadian fashion mogul for years. And Wolff is already struggling 2018 one of the masterminds the constellation without the then Pressure India owner Vijay Mallya that Aston Martin has now made possible to join Racing Point.
If the deal goes ahead, Wolff could take over an administration blueprint at Aston Martin and lead the crisis-ridden sports car manufacturer operationally in the future. In a very similar constellation, as is currently the case with the Mercedes crew, namely as a shareholder with a stake in the shares.
Wolff's career in motorsport began 2006 as a shareholder at HWA, at that time responsible for the plant assignments of Mercedes in the DTM. The Austrian brought HWA to the stock exchange before investing in the British Formula 1 crew Williams and also preparing for the IPO there.
In January 2013 he was then head of motorsport at Mercedes and at the same time 30-Percent- Shareholders of the Formula 1 factory team. Under his direction, the Stuttgart-based automobile manufacturer achieved the biggest success streak in the history of Formula 1 with six double world championship titles (drivers and designers).
Because of his clean track record as head of the Mercedes Groups struggle Wolff in spring 2019 even as the successor to Stride An interview with Carey at the top of Formula 1. It is known that there have been contacts in this regard. The topic had been dealt with at the point at the latest, however when Ferrari threatened against a formula -1-CEO Wolff veto .
There is no official information about Wolff's planned start at Aston Martin. From the Mercedes warehouse it is said that the speculations triggered by the 'day-to-day mail' are “nonsense”. Wolff himself was sent this report in advance via WhatsApp and email with a request for comments, observing industry-specific deadlines. So far he has not commented on the content.
Update: 22 minutes after the deadline set by united states for the opportunity to comment (more than ten hours ) Wolff still got in touch. He says in writing: “The story is wrong. I'm not going to become CEO of Aston Martin.” He does not go into the essence of the news that he could leave Mercedes and switch to Aston Martin as an investor.
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