WOLFF : DON’T SEE MYSELF IN THE ROLE THAT NIKI LAUDA HAD IN THE END

As for his own future, the Ineos takeover rumours suggest Wolff could be moved into an advisory role clear of the day-to-day running of the team.

Wolff’s said emphatically he expects to be at Mercedes next season but the exact position he occupies is to be defined.

He also insists the future of the team is “absolutely clear”, “nothing is going to change that”, and contract talks really are just a matter of time.

“We had simply three triple-headers, one after the other, and now it’s about sitting down and carving it out,” he said.

Mercedes signing a deal governing its own F1 future wasn’t enough to kill a never-ending rumour, though. It therefore seems unlikely a resolution over Wolff’s next move and Hamilton’s new contract will either.

A role as Niki Lauda

A role as Niki Lauda last knew at Mercedes is not something Toto Wolff aspires to do. The current Mercedes team principal sees nothing in a non-executive role at Mercedes, as Lauda did from 2013 until his final moments.

Lauda was the person who brought Lewis Hamilton to Mercedes. Wolff himself has still not said anything about his future as team boss at Mercedes. “What we do is the best sport there is. I am so passionate about this sport and I don’t want to give it up”, the Austrian told Channel 4.

“I don’t see myself in a non-executive role like Niki had in the end. I want to choose how many Grands Prix I’m going to, how much I’m involved, stop bothering our chief strategist with my input during the race or ask semi-professional questions to the technical director.”

Rumours about Wolff’s exit from Mercedes are still circulating. Wolff could have a hard time with the CEO of Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes. Wolff would also find Aston Martin’s Formula 1 project with investor Lawrence Stroll very interesting.

WOLFF : DON’T SEE MYSELF IN THE ROLE THAT NIKI LAUDA HAD IN THE END WOLFF : DON’T SEE MYSELF IN THE ROLE THAT NIKI LAUDA HAD IN THE END

ALFA ROMEO TEAM BOSS : RAIKKONEN REMAINS ALFA’S FIRST CHOICE FOR 2021

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE F1 NEWS VIA Facebook AND Twitter