Toto Wolff‘s rise to have unprecedented Mercedes success wasn’t easy and for this, he put all the credit on his hard childhood. The Austrian boss faced multiple blockades while growing up, but he came out on top most of the time. Unlike many others, Wolff had this capability built in him and knew how to handle tough situations that life threw at him, despite being so young.

The Mercedes boss came from nothing to be a magnanimous figure in Formula 1. Many would say that he got lucky because he took the managerial role right at the start of the Silver Arrows’ dominance. But for him, it was all because of his “genetics” that brought him success.

The Silver Arrows boss recently opened up on this during the Secrets of Success podcast with Nasser Hussain. There, he said, “There is a big influence through your childhood. I believe that there were many [events] in my life, humiliation and trauma that were beneficial for my later career.”

Notably, the hardship for young Wolff began after his father was diagnosed with brain cancer. Wolff was just eight years old then. His parents separated soon after his father was diagnosed with the disease. Wolff’s father died when he was just 15.

Wolff’s mother had to look after her two children and her job [she was a physician] was not enough for it. Therefore, the family went through extreme monetary hardships to make ends meet. This particular situation helped build the Toto Wolff that he is today.

Once penniless, Toto Wolff is a billionaire now

Toto Wolff is the only billionaire team principal on the F1 grid now. However, his rise to the top wasn’t easy. Rather, it was pretty hard for someone to imagine. How hard? At one point he had to leave school because his mother could not afford to pay his school’s fees.

Wolff went to the Lycee Français de Vienne, a prestigious French school in the Austrian capital. However, after his father’s demise, his time at the school was over. During a conversation with the BBC, Wolff revealed that he and his sister had to leave the school in the afternoon as the fees were not paid.

It was tough for him to explain to his sister that she would not go to school anymore. Furthermore, the difficulties did not end there as he also had to tell his friends that he had to pack his bag and never come back.

As Wolff’s mother alone could not afford to run the family, the young Wolff had to leave the comfort of his home and get into jobs for good. In doing so, he went into jobs that are embarrassing for him now.

Speaking about this, he said that he had to paint his face in gold color and wear a golden cape to distribute leaflets to the local electronic shops. From there, he now has a net worth of $1.6 billion, eight Constructors’ championships, and seven drivers’ titles under his belt as a team principal. Thus, his hard childhood indeed proved to be a stepping stone to success for him.