Wolff snipes at Ecclestone: 'He had no interest in those people'

Like Max Verstappen, Toto Wolff is not a fan of the Netflix series Drive to Survive, but he does acknowledge that it has attracted a new audience to the sport. That audience is particularly in the 15 to 35 age group, a group that Wolff says is very important for the future of Formula One.

The Mercedes team boss therefore wants to ensure that he can reach the younger audience. In doing so, he immediately gives a stab at Bernie Ecclestone. "In the past he said, 'I'm not interested in the 15-35 year olds, because they don't buy Rolexes from my sponsor,'" Wolff told the Irish branch of The Independent.

According to Wolff, this has clearly changed, because partly due to social media, outreach is particularly driven by that age group. "Also, they are the future decision makers," he adds.

He also shines his light on the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Formula 1. Wolff emphasises that he regrets it for the Russian public, but that as a society it should not be overlooked.

According to the Austrian, this applies to the participating teams and drivers as well as to the Russian Grand Prix. "We are commercially driven, and it's an attractive location to race, but at a certain stage you have to say, 'Up to here and no more,'" Wolff said.