Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • November–December 2022
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review

Number One in Formula One: Leadership Lessons from Toto Wolff and Mercedes, the Team behind One of the Greatest Winning Streaks in All of Sports

By: Anita Elberse
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:9
ShareBar

Abstract

Toto Wolff, the team principal for Mercedes-AMG Petronas—arguably the most impressive team in F1 racing history—has led his organization to unparalleled success. Mercedes earned the Constructors’ Championship (for best overall team performance) every year from 2014 through 2021, and over that time frame it won nearly 70% of the Grand Prix races it competed in.

To understand what made that possible, Harvard Business School’s Anita Elberse spent time with the team in 2021, conducting interviews and watching what went on behind the scenes before, during, and after races. She found that Wolff shapes the culture at Mercedes to a remarkable degree. Elberse’s takeaway? What you say and do as a leader has a surprisingly powerful effect on the organization you run.

In this article, drawing on her observations of Wolff’s management style and practices, Elberse presents six lessons that can help any leader cultivate a winning team: (1) Set the highest standards for everyone; (2) put people front and center; (3) analyze mistakes continually—even when winning; (4) foster an open, no-blame culture; (5) trust superstars but maintain authority; and (6) relentlessly battle complacency.

Keywords

Formula One; Leadership; Organizational Culture; Management Style; Success

Citation

Elberse, Anita. "Number One in Formula One: Leadership Lessons from Toto Wolff and Mercedes, the Team behind One of the Greatest Winning Streaks in All of Sports." Harvard Business Review (November–December 2022): 70–78.
  • Register to Read

About The Author

Anita Elberse

Marketing
→More Publications

More from the Author

    • May 2022
    • Faculty Research

    The NFL’s $110-Billion Media Rights Deals

    By: Anita Elberse and Elizabeth Warner
    • February 2022
    • Faculty Research

    Toto Wolff and the Mercedes Formula One Team

    By: Anita Elberse and David Moreno Vicente
    • January 2022
    • Faculty Research

    FIFA and The World Cup: The Future of Football

    By: Anita Elberse, Oliver Band and Howard Johnson
More from the Author
  • The NFL’s $110-Billion Media Rights Deals By: Anita Elberse and Elizabeth Warner
  • Toto Wolff and the Mercedes Formula One Team By: Anita Elberse and David Moreno Vicente
  • FIFA and The World Cup: The Future of Football By: Anita Elberse, Oliver Band and Howard Johnson
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College