Mercedes technical chief James Allison has placed Toto Wolff “head and shoulders” above the other Formula 1 team bosses he has worked for.
The Austrian has only been in his current role since 2017, this after initially being a commercial director for the first four years alongside technical chief Paddy Lowe, who looked after the day-to-day operations at Brackley.
However, Allison, who has worked under three former Ferrari bosses, Jean Todt, Stefano Domenicali and Maurizio Arrivabene to name a few, explained why the Austrian is superior to all them.
“As a team principal, head and shoulders clear of the rest would be Toto,” he said in a YouTube video released by Mercedes.
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“That’s because of the warmth and the vitality he brings to our company, the trust he places in us.
“Also, the fact that he gives everyone who works for him a certain amount of space and leeway to make their own decisions with a high degree of autonomy, while requiring high standards from us all, and holding us to account in a clear and straightforward fashion if we’re not cutting it.”
Allison joined Mercedes back in 2017 just as Wolff was assuming full control of the team, this after returning to the UK after leaving Ferrari for the second time.
Since then, his role has been increasing within the outfit and he is being linked to replacing Wolff should the Austrian not stay beyond 2020.