Toto Wolff has lifted the lid on one of Formula 1's most dramatic behind-the-scenes moments, revealing he temporarily dismissed both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg following their infamous collision at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix — a decision that went all the way to Mercedes CEO Dieter Zetsche.
Toto Wolff, Mercedes Team Principal, has opened up about the fallout from Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg's collision at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix — a crash that brought long-simmering tensions between the two championship contenders to a boiling point.
At the time, Hamilton and Rosberg were locked in a fierce battle for the Drivers' Championship. But what had started as healthy competition had evolved into something far more damaging — and Wolff was forced to act.
Speaking in an interview with The New York Times, Wolff didn't mince his words: "I fired Hamilton and Rosberg after their accident in Spain in 2016. I called my CEO, Dieter Zetsche, and said: 'Listen, you need to sign off on something.' He called me back and said: 'Are you going to fire both drivers?'"
"And I said: 'Yes, because otherwise they won't understand how important it is to put the interests of the brand and the team above their own.' What started as healthy competition turned into rivalry, and then into animosity."
"That is something I would not tolerate within the organization. Based on all of this, we sent them an email saying: 'For the time being, you are not part of the team.' I told them: 'My problem is that I don't know whose fault it was.'"
"So what I told them is that if it happens again, one of them has to go — and I might be wrong. I might fire the wrong one. What do the people who have mortgages to pay and work in Mercedes' factories think? That you crash into each other because you don't like each other?"
"That directly affects the lives of 2,500 people. Who do you think you are? That is a fundamental question you need to address with your drivers," Wolff stated.
How Long Has Toto Wolff Been at the Helm of Mercedes?
Wolff's path to the top of Formula 1 began in 2009, when he purchased a stake in Williams — his first foray into team management in the sport. By 2012, he had been appointed Executive Director of the team, the same year Williams claimed victory at the Spanish Grand Prix.
A year later, Wolff made the move to Mercedes, taking on the role of CEO and Team Principal. He didn't just step into a sporting role, however — he also became a stakeholder, acquiring a 30% share of the team, though he divested that holding in 2026.
He remains the only team principal in Formula 1 history to have delivered more than five consecutive constructors' and drivers' championship doubles, all alongside Lewis Hamilton.