Wolff not ruling out team boss exit

Toto Wolff says he could eventually step down as Mercedes’ team boss.

The 49-year-old Austrian actually admits that he recently gave thought to stepping away from Formula 1 altogether.

"For a year I thought about going back into the financial world," he told Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

"But we at Mercedes decided together that Formula 1 is not just a marketing platform that we want to use for a short time. We want to shape an era.

"Since I own 33 percent of the team shares, I will definitely be there. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that I have to be the team boss."

What is clear is that Wolff won’t be joining his wife Susie in switching over to Formula E team management - as Mercedes has decided to pull out of the series in a year’s time.

With BMW and Audi also quitting, Wolff was asked if the exodus is the beginning of the end for the all-electric series.

"Changes always offers opportunities for more change," Wolff insisted.

"At first glance, of course it’s unfortunate that three premium manufacturers are getting out of the business at the same time. But maybe Formula E just needed some kind of restart to take the next step.

"Other teams, possibly even more private ones, will grow because they will come more into focus," he added.