Mercedes boss insists he is not ‘Special One’ in racing

Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insists he is not motor racing’s “Special One”, despite being on the verge of leading his team to another Formula One world championship.

After Hamilton, 33, wrapped up the individual honours at the last round in Mexico, Mercedes will become only the second team in F1 history to win five consecutive constructors’ titles – if Ferrari fail to outscore them by 13 points in Brazil.

As team principal, Wolff, 46, has been a permanent fixture in Mercedes’ almost unprecedented run of success, while Hamilton has also flourished under the Austrian’s relaxed style of leadership.

In their pomp, McLaren and Red Bull both won four team titles on the trot, but only the combination of Michael Schumacher and his Ferrari boss Jean Todt claiming six on the spin will have won more in a row than the Silver Arrows.

Mercedes have not always possessed the fastest machinery this year, but, when under pressure, have cracked fewer times than their rivals in red.

Quite rightly, Hamilton has taken the plaudits, but does Wolff feel he is worthy of the same acclaim?

“The downfall of any leader in a sports team is when he gets carried away with his own ego, ”Wolff said.

“You have seen in football that if you start to think you are the ‘Special One’, or that you are better than the others, that is the moment when you will be beaten.

“Humility is a super-important factor in all of our lives, and I try to remind myself of that every that evening.”

Unlike the heavy constraints placed on Hamilton at McLaren, Wolff has afforded his star driver free reign.

Although he revealed the path has not always been smooth, he believes his decision has been vindicated.