Toto Wolff says Alain Prost’s Senna feud reshaped how he manages Mercedes drivers

Prost’s warning about favouritism stayed with Wolff

Toto Wolff says a conversation with Alain Prost early in his Formula 1 career influenced how he handles tension between teammates at Mercedes. Speaking after the Singapore Grand Prix, the team principal recalled asking Prost about the breakdown of his relationship with McLaren teammate Ayrton Senna.

Wolff, then at Williams, said Prost explained that uncertainty over which driver the team favoured had helped create mistrust. “You never knew whether you were favoured,” Wolff recalled Prost telling him, describing how that perception shifted between the two drivers over time.

Prost’s account gave Wolff an early insight into how quickly a team’s internal balance can become a source of conflict. He said drivers can be emotionally vulnerable despite reaching Formula 1, having begun their careers as children pursuing a dream, and that asking them to put the team first can be difficult.

Mercedes aims for openness when tensions rise

Wolff has had to manage high-profile clashes during Mercedes’ years of success, including the rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. More recently, he has intervened when George Russell and Kimi Antonelli have contested track position, including their wheel-to-wheel moment in Canada.

He believes Mercedes can reduce suspicion by being explicit about decisions and team orders. “I need to be transparent, and if one day we decide to play the team game in whatever form, I will say so,” Wolff said. He added that disagreements should be discussed openly rather than left to erode a driver’s confidence.

Wolff said both Russell and Antonelli have followed team instructions this season to support the other driver, even while competing for the title. For him, the lesson from Prost’s experience is that clear rules and a sense of emotional security are essential when teammates are also direct rivals.